


The Huntress

by indigo_skye5



Series: The Huntress [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angels, Angst, Canon Compliant, Demons, Drama, Emotions, Empath, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Ghosts, Hunter!Reader, Leviathans, Monster Hunters, Monsters, Motorcycles, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Psychic Abilities, Reader-Insert, Romance, Saving the World, Season/Series 07, Slow Burn, Soft!Reader, Sword wielding reader, Swords, Tattoos, Vampires, badassery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:33:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 100,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25461730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indigo_skye5/pseuds/indigo_skye5
Summary: She’s soft and strong. A badass hunter, but compassionate. Her abilities make her kind, but lonely. She might be just what the boys need.~~~~~Reader is an Empath Who comes across the boys right before 0705. She does a case with them and they become friends. Then she starts going on adventures with them starting with 0705! Slow burn between her and Sam at its finest! Updates frequently!
Relationships: Sam Winchester & You, Sam Winchester/Reader
Series: The Huntress [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1844254
Comments: 13
Kudos: 67





	1. Saving People Hunting Things Pt. 1

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo....I jumped into the rabbit hole of reader insert series. This is season seven from the point of view from an empathic reader so a unique POV. ;) enjoy!-Indigo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! Check out my aestrhic board for this part of the series since I’m a noob at code, I can’t embed the image, so till then, here’s the link! https://www.flickr.com/photos/191482150@N08/50718375201/in/dateposted-public/

_“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard.”_ -Unknown 

Saving people. Hunting things. That’s what I did, or at least I tried. Going after the things that go bump in the night wasn’t exactly what my parents dreamed for a career choice for themselves, or even their own daughter, but they were good at it, and so was I. 

And they weren't likely to care since they weren’t living anymore. I was alone. Hunted alone. Lived alone really. And that’s how I liked it for the most part, though I missed being a part of a team. Yes it was easier to work it alone being an Empath and all, but I was still human. I wanted that connection. 

But then the Winchester’s happened. _God why did the Winchesters have to come stumble into my life_? I once asked. Well, maybe this can answer it. 

I was riding down a road outside of St. Louis on my vintage BMW bike on a Friday morning. I had stashed my beat up pickup in a storage facility outside of town. I got wind of a case that I wanted a little more stealth in. Yes the bike didn’t carry much, but thankfully it was fast. 

Excitement ran through my veins as the cold air whipped around myself and the bike. I always had gotten like this over a new case. Excited to rev my bike’s engine and drive at breakneck speeds go find my next ghost or monster. This time was no different as I found my way into the city heading straight towards the Isabella Theater.

The blue building with its fading marque clearly showed it was in its twilight years. As I rolled up and parked, there was a man on a ladder taking down some letters. _Maggie Hall This Friday 8pm,_ It once said; the latest victim. I also noticed another announcement on the marque. _Benefit Saturday Save the Isabella_! 

I took off my helmet and locked up my bike. I pulled out a pen and notepad from my backpack, and walked up to the man on the ladder. 

“Hello sir? Can you tell me where the owner of the theater is?” I asked, gesturing towards the building. 

“You’re talking to him.” 

“Oh. Hi, I’m Jane Matthews,” the fake reporter name rolled off my tongue with ease as I lied to him. He climbed down the ladder and shook my hand. “I’m with the Riverfront Times. I’m doing a piece on Maggie Hall.” 

The middle aged man smiled sadly as he heard the name, and sadness rolled off of him. “Ah Maggie. Such a Tragedy.” 

“Yes.” The girl had died a few days ago by mysterious circumstances. “It was meant to be about a new up and comer, but _now..._ a memorial piece. Did you know her?” 

He nodded. “Yes. Sweet girl with a beautiful voice. Been with her at rehearsals, I’m one of the last people to see her before…” 

I threw a gentle smile his way, “you mind if I ask a few questions about her. It could really help.” 

“Sure.” 

The man answered a few questions for me, though it only raised more in the case. Maggie seemed fine during her last rehearsal. No strange behavior whatsoever. When I asked about things leading up, such as signs for ghosts or demons, there wasn’t much to go on. Still I wanted to take a look at the stage, since she spent a lot of time there. 

Though he was wary of my questions, he didn’t mind me taking a look around. He walked me through the house and let me use a backdown to get into the backstage. That’s when he left me alone. 

When I entered the stage, everything felt different. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I felt a familiar warm sensation roll down my spine. A sensation I would receive often when near certain things of supernatural connections. I closed my eyes as I let my mental walls slowly fade away, letting in the extra sensory information that normal people couldn’t sense. Spiritual Energy. 

I have been sensitive to spirits all my life, which did help with cases, and I had plenty of practice. My gut was telling me a spirit was here not long ago, and it was very, very angry. I pulled out my EMF reader from my leather jacket pocket and turned it on. Immediately it was in the red, confirming it. “Hello?” I called out. 

I focused on the stage and looked out onto the seats of the theater. Seeing spirits wasn’t easy when they couldn’t manifest, but if I was quiet and focused enough, I could see their auras. Still nothing. Then I heard the loud slamming of the doors at the front of the house. 

I turned off the EMF reader and stuffed it back in my pocket, putting up my mental walls as I stared out. The owner of the theater had returned, but with two men in suits. I furrowed my eyebrows as the owner called out, “Jane. You finished up?” 

I put on a fake smile, unsure of the two new men, though they seemed eerily familiar. “Just about, I wanted to take a few pictures for Maggie’s Article. Of the stage if you don’t mind.” 

He nodded, “make it quick, I need to talk with these officers.” They both stared at me. The tall one with long brown hair had a wave of curiosity roll off of him, while the other short hair and light eyes was annoyed, and I didn’t need my empathic abilities to see that. 

Still, once I heard that they were officers, I had to ask, “officers?” 

“Agents actually.” The shorter one said in a deep voice. They both pulled out FBI badges. _Fakes. They’re lying_. I thought. It was waving off of them, clearly they practiced the lie, but I knew this MO. _Fellow_ _Hunters_. 

I made my way off the stage and said, “really? Are you working on the Maggie Hall case?” 

“Yeah.” The taller one answered. _Truth_ , _yep, definitely hunters_. 

I smiled brightly. “Jane Mathews. I’m with the Riverfront Times.” 

The shorter hunter then replied with smugness, “pleasure, but we can’t _currently_ answer any questions right now.” 

“Are you sure? I have just have a few about her. Wouldn’t take much of your time.” I pushed.

“Sorry, but it’s a closed investigation.” The taller one answered. An air of a lie, but his sorry seemed genuine. 

Their familiarity and their energies made me all the more curious about them. I pulled out a business card and a pen with my Press fake name. I scribbled on the back my main cell number. “If you boys would like to actually tell me anything, give me a call.” 

I turned to the owner, “thank you for your time.” I walked quickly out, though I felt their stares down my backside. I wanted to laugh as I knew they both were checking out my ass. _Boy are they in for it_. 

…

I took my bike and rode down the street to sit around the corner. I watched from a distance and waited for the two hunters to exit the theater. I was curious about what they knew about the case, and I figured that we could provide each other intel, or backup at the least. 

They emerged from the theater and walked to a Sleek, black Chevy Impala. _Beautiful car_. I thought as they drove off, and I followed behind, keeping at least three cars in front of me. Though if they were hunters worth their salt, they would notice someone following them. 

Soon enough, they pulled into a diner and went inside. I parked my bike on the street and grabbed my hunters journal from the bag I kept strapped on my bike. I figured they would want to see that I actually knew what I was doing. 

I walked into the busy diner and found that the two hunters had just sat down in a booth. I walked over and slid in next to the shorter one. “Hello _agents_.” I said as I put down my journal. They both looked at me like I had two heads. 

The taller man started, “Look miss-“ 

“Before you _miss_ me, I know you two are hunters. We clearly caught the same case. I figured we would do more good than harm with a little meeting, if you don’t mind.” 

“ _You’re_ a hunter?” The one next to me asked with scrutiny 

“That wasn’t clear enough for you?” I said with a smirk, and I introduced myself. 

The taller man then said, “I’m Sam Winchester, that’s my brother Dean.” 

“I knew you were familiar. Your Bobby’s boys.” I smiled. “It’s good to finally meet you two.” 

“You know Bobby?” Dean asked. 

“Who doesn’t? My parents were good friends a while back. And I call him from time to time for help in cases. Saved my ass from a Wendigo a while back.” I chuckled at the memory of the old man. “How is he? I heard about the fire.” 

“He's good.” Sam replied. “So what do you know about the case.” 

I opened up my journal to the page about Maggie and handed it to him. “Died when she went up to a cabin a week before the performance of her _life_ at Isabella Theater. Throat slit. All entrances locked. Police are pegging it as a suicide, but I don’t think so.” 

“That’s what got us out there.” Dean said as he took a look as well to my writings. 

“Same. Then I got some alone time on stage. The place is buzzing with EMF. It was the last place she went to before the cabin.” 

“So you think it has something to do with the theater.” Sam asked. 

“Mmn-hmm. So I’m going to look into the history of the place. We also need to talk to more of her friends and family next.” 

“I’m sorry,” Dean interjected, “we?” 

“Well I assumed you boys would want to help me with _my_ case. Right?” 

Sam flashed a smile at me, “your case?” 

“I got here first.” I reasoned with a smile, “But I don’t mind. I can be a good team player, plus three hunters are be better than one. If you boys are up for it?” 

Sam and Dean seemed to argue silently infront of me as a waitress came up to the table. “What can I get for ya?” 

“Uhh three coffees please.” I said with a smile at her. “And we need another minute for the food.” She walked away and I turned back, “so...what do you say?” 

Sam smiled, “we’re in.” 

…

After a lunch of strategies, I got a better sense of the brothers. I had heard rumors about their several misadventures with Demons and Angels, clearly all of the trauma and history was there, but their relationship between them seemed to be in repair. Sam was struggling mentally but getting there, and Dean seemed to be hiding something. But I decided not to pry, knowing that would land me in more awkwardness than there already was. 

Still once we finished, Dean was off to the police station to find more out about the victim, while Sam and I were set for the library. Thankfully it was only a few blocks away, so I locked my bike up, and we walked. 

It gave some time for Sam to start asking me questions. “So how long have you been a hunter?” 

“Getting on to ten years now.” I looked at him, who was now holding his hands in his pockets. “What about you?” 

He smiled a little crooked smile. “Most of my life actually.” 

I raised my eyebrows. Reading his current emotions, well to say the least they were mixed. “You were raised in it?” 

“Yeah, both of us.” 

I nodded. “My parents were in it. Started when I was entering high school. Spent summers hunting down ghosts, and other things.” 

“What about now?” That curiosity that he had when we first met at the theater was still there, and in full swing. 

I smiled sadly. “They're gone now, but I’m keeping up with it. Someone’s gotta do it right?” I tried to joke. 

He smiled a little but his eyes looked at me with sympathy. A mix of sadness and empathy for me wafted off him. “Ours too.” 

“So…” I started wanting to get away from the dead parents subject. “What’s up with Dean? He didn’t seem all that keen on working with me?” 

Those same frustrations came off of Sam, but so did some joy when thinking about his brother. “He’s just rough around the edges. Doesn’t trust people right off the bat.” 

I nodded. “What about you?”

“Huh?” 

“Do _you_ trust people right off the bat?” 

“Uhh...not really I guess.” 

I smirked. “It’s okay. We’re hunters, it should be in the job description that we don’t trust _people_. But...you can trust me, at least with the case.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” 

…

Half an hour into research in the library, we caught a hit. “So get this,” Sam whispered to me from across the table. “There was a death right in the theater three years ago.” 

“Seriously?” I said looking up from my book about the Theaters of St. Louis. “Who?” 

He turned the laptop towards me. There were a few articles on the screen. “Dana Rose. She was an up and comer until when she was found on the stage with _her throat slit_. Her case is still unsolved.” 

The EMF and the strange sense of being on the the stage made so much sense now. “No way.” I clicked through, and found a picture of Dana, standing right next to Maggie. “Maggie knew her.” 

“I’m gonna call Dean.” Sam stepped out to make the call while I looked more up on Dana and Maggie, trying to find more connections between them. 

As Sam came back, my eyes widened. “Uh. We've got a problem.” 

“What?” 

“A Love triangle.” We left the library and headed back to where I parked my bike. By the time we got there, Dean was waiting with the Impala. Sam slid into the passenger seat, and I got onto my bike. We road across town to a residential area where we could find the fiancé. 

I parked my bike behind the Impala and left my helmet and shed off my leather jacket and replaced it with my blazer I kept in my bag. Remembering the Winchester’s shtick, I pulled out a fake FBI badge of my own. A trick I learned from Bobby Singer. I redid my ponytail before heading inside. “Agent…?” Dean asked with a wave of annoyance. 

“Johnson.” I said with a smile. 

“Paige, Plant.” Sam said as we approached the front door and knocked. 

A man came up and answered. He was waving off a heavy grief. “Hello sir. I’m Agent Johnson and this is Agents Paige, and Plant. We’re with the FBI. Could we ask you some questions about your fiancé?” We all showed our badges. 

“I thought they ruled her death as a suicide?” He asked. 

“Yes, but we are conducting our own separate investigation. It won’t take up too much of your time.” Dean told the man. 

After a wave of reluctance, he let us into his house. It was clean and felt like a regular home of a couple, but with lots of flowers on the counter and the kitchen table. Sam stared at them for a moment as we sat down in the adjoining living room. “The funeral is in a few days...and uh...people started sending flowers.” 

I nodded. “Before we get started, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for your loss. It’s never easy.” 

“Thank you.” Dean gave me a side eye while I felt their waves of surprise. 

Sam then asked, “So, Mr. Harper-“ 

“Elton please.” 

“Elton. Can you talk to us about Maggie? How was she in the days leading up to her death?” 

He shook his head as he exhaled. “Everything...everything was normal. She was excited for her performance the next week. A music producer wanted to work with her, possibly get her signed to a record company.” 

“That must have been a deal of lifetime for her.” 

“It was. I just...don’t understand why…” 

I nodded. “Sir...I wanted to ask you about someone you knew. A woman named Dana Rose?” 

A wave of panic came over him. “What about her?” 

“You knew her didn’t you?” Dean asked. 

“Yeah...yeah. Dana and I...we were dating before she died three years ago. Maggie and I both knew her.” 

“And you remember what happened to her?” I asked. 

“Yeah, uh...she died. She took her own life.” He was lying. “It was all over the newspapers.” 

“I’m sorry to hear that.” I said as I watched him with a scrutinizing eye. 

After we finished interviewing him, we walked out of the house to a setting sun. “He’s hiding something.” I told the Winchesters. 

“Yeah. He knows more than he’s telling us.” Dean said as he got out his keys.

“I don’t think Dana took her own life.” 

“What makes you think that?” Sam asked me. That’s when I noticed his eyes for the first time. I swallowed as I stared into them. They were light in all sorts of colors in the warm light of the sunset. Greens and browns lit up in front of me as I fought for words for a second. 

I cleared my throat and looked away at the car. “I just have a feeling he’s hiding something about her.” 

“Well, either way, we know who’s bones to burn.” Dean said from the drivers side of the Impala. “Let’s get to a motel and wait for dark.” 

I smiled up at Sam. “I’ll follow.” Then I turned back to my bike, a warm flitter in my stomach as I walked away from the presence of the man. I put on my helmet and started my bike as I thought about him. 

He was tall, and his legs went on for days. He was well built and that Fed suit did wonder’s to show it off. I liked how his brown hair would go into his face and the way he smiled. Sam was someone that I found indescribably interesting in his various emotions alone, a bit unpredictable but sweet and kind natured. But he seemed like he also had a dark side that he seldom showed. He was as dangerous as his brother showed on the outside, except all his demons were better hidden, and that made him a mystery I wanted to crack. 

…

Finding a motel was easy. But the boys stopped me from checking in myself. “They uh...they're out of rooms.” Sam told me. 

I sighed. “Of course they are.” I was tired from the long day of driving and I wasn’t looking forward to scrambling for another motel. 

“Look we need to get this job done, so...stay with us for tonight.” Sam said. 

“Really?” 

“Yeah Sam, really?” Dean asked. To which Sam gave him a look. 

They went aside a few feet and argued. They looked at me a moment, to which I smiled and waved. Sam then turned and smiled. “Room’s this way.” 

We walked to the room, on the ground floor, and headed in. A tacky hotel room at its finest with floral patterns and strange color scheme. I saw the couch and took my bag straight to it. “Dibs on the couch.” I said. 

“Oh, you don’t-“ Sam started. 

“It’s okay.” I turned. “It’s only for a night, and I handle a couch.” I smiled a bit. 

“Okay.” He turned to Dean. “I’m gonna get my duffle.” 

He nodded as he kept staring daggers at me. As I took out my journal again, he said, “just a friendly warning, I sleep with a knife under a pillow.” 

“Huh. Me too. What a coincidence?” I said smiling but never looking up. I put my journal down and went to the closet, normally they had an extra pillow or blanket, though it had been a while since I had to stay with others in one room. 

Thankfully they had them, and I took them out. I put them on the end of the couch and pulled out my journal and a pen, writing my notes down from what I had learned today about the case. 

A few hours later, it was time to burn the girl’s bones. I threw on my leather jacket and took my gun. I walked out with them to their Impala. This time I got to see her up close. I smiled as I stared at the black beauty for a moment.  
“I forgot to tell you, I love your car.” I said to Dean as he walked around to the driver's seat. He looked at me for a moment and gave me a smirk. He had a small wave of impression. 

“Get in.” He said simply. I got in the back and sat on the soft leather seats. Soon enough, the Impala roared to life and I couldn’t help but smile. 

“Cemetery is on the other side of town.” Sam said to him as he backed us out of the spot. 

“Got it.” We drove across town, not at neck break speeds, but fast enough to give a little thrill for every turn. We parked by the side entrance of the cemetery and snuck in the two shovels the boys kept in the back. 

We walked for a while, looking for the right gravestone, a quiet over the three of us. Then we found her. “Alright. We have two shovels, who wants to man the flashlight.” Dean asked. 

I took it from him, which earned me a look. “What? I’m taking the couch for you two, might as well work for it.” 

Dean just grumbled as he took the shovel from me. Sam just chuckled. They started digging while I kept watch for any cops. After a half hour or so, Dean came up and gave me a silent _your turn_ look. I just took the shovel and started digging. “He’s bossy.” I muttered to Sam. 

He chuckled. “Tell me about it.” Another half hour, and we hit the coffin. “Hey, get out and I’ll open it.” He said. 

“Here.” Dean put his hand out to which I took. He lifted me out with no trouble as Sam broke it open. I covered my mouth to the smell of decay as Sam climbed out. 

“Alright. Let’s do this.” I said. Dean handed me a box of salt and he manned the gasoline. We covered the casket and the bones in it. With the light of a match, it was up in flames in seconds. After we let it burn for about ten minuets, we covered it in dirt and replaced majority of it. The grave was still defaced, but at least the spirit should be gone. 

We left in about the same amount of time it took to get there. All three of us were covered in dirt and tired, but considered it a job well done. The Impala roared to life again and we headed back to the motel for some much earned beer and pizza. “I’ll order the pizza. What do you guys like?” I said as we dragged ourselves into the motel room. 

They rolled off their order and I called a place that was open late. The order was in and I flopped onto my couch and closed my eyes. “Hey, you care who gets a shower first?” Dean asked me from across the room. 

“So long as there’s hot water left for me, I couldn’t care less if I’m last.” I said as I stayed on the couch. Both boys were giving off waves of exhaustion. The bathroom door closed and the shower started. I got up and went to the fridge. Sam was sitting at the kitchenette’s table on his lap top. “You want a beer?” I asked him. 

“Uh...sure.” I pulled out two bottles and closed it up. I opened both twist offs and handed him one. “Thanks.” He said then sipped. 

I sat across him. “Can I ask you something?” I asked. 

“Sure.” 

“Did that seem too... _easy_? Just burning the bones. That’s it?” 

He nodded. “In my experience it’s _never_ that easy.” 

And it wasn’t. The next morning, around six o’clock, Dean had left a police scanner on. It woke me up when it went off. I almost didn’t believe what I heard. “Oh crap.” I said. 

I got up. I was just in my sweatshirt and pj bottoms as I walked towards Sam. Remembering what Dean said the night before, I didn’t exactly want to be the one to wake him up. I shook Sam's shoulder. “Sam. Sam.” 

“What-What’s up?” He asked, rubbing his eyes. 

“Get up. Another body dropped. This one was _actually_ at the theater.” 

“Crap.” He mumbled


	2. Saving People Hunting Things Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunting a ghost with the Winchesters suddenly take a turn as the bones are burned but the spirit is still on the loose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this chapter, we will dive straight into episode seven, season five! (‘Shut up, Dr. Phil’) I have all of Season 7 episodes written so will be releasing them whenever. (I also have been working on season 8!) So enjoy!-Indigo

_ “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you do know better do better.”  _ -Maya Angelou 

  
  
  


Dean drove us to the theater. The owner was found dead in the back alley of the place with his throat slit. 

We parked on the side of the building and walked around. I looked more Fed appropriate this time in a blouse and slacks, along with my blazer. I was nervous, it was one thing to use the ruse to an unsuspecting civilian, but on actual law enforcement? That was making my stomach churn. 

We got to the police line and showed our badges. The man just waved us through and a detective was waiting for Dean at the body. He introduced us, “this is agents Paige and Johnson. What do you got?” 

The detective explained to us that the owner was found this morning by a couple of kids. As soon as I got within a dozen feet of the body, my spine had warmed. I let down a few of my walls and sensed the spiritual energy. The spirit was there.  _ Either Dana isn’t our killer or she attached herself to the earth another way _ . I thought. “Real tragedy. Their big fundraiser is tonight to try and save his theater.” The detective finished. 

“I heard about it. It’s a real shame.” I told him. 

“Mind if we take a look at the Vic?” Sam asked. 

“Be my guest.” The detective said then walked away. 

I walked to the body and crouched down. I moved the sheet, careful not to touch anything else, and grimaced as I saw the face and slit throat of the man. “It’s terrible.” I said quietly. 

I replaced the sheet and snuck out my EMF reader. Dean kept watch as I turned it on, keeping the volume on low, and found that the levels were high. Just as I suspected. “That’s what I was afraid of.” Sam said. 

I turned it off and pocketed it. I stood back up and looked at both boys. “Why did the spirit go after him?” I said lowly, as we started to leave the scene. 

“He might have known her. I mean he did say he owned the place for the last twenty years.” 

“Right, but how?” Dean asked. “We burnt the bones.” We stopped out of earshot from anyone at the crime scene. 

“Well, one thing is for sure, we need to do more digging.” I said. “I want to talk to Elton again. See if we find out anything else about Dana’s death.” 

“Alright, I’ll poke around here with the Owners family.” Dean said then tossed Sam the keys. “You guys go ahead.” 

Sam and I left for the Impala. I kept running everything in my head. Elton lying about Dana. Maggie’s career after her death. The owner’s sudden murder.  _ What the hell did they do to this woman to warrant it _ ? I thought. 

We drove to Elton’s house, but found that he wasn’t home. Seeing that we only wanted to talk to the man, we decided to wait next to the Impala. I crossed my arms as I stared at the house. 

Waves of curiosity came off Sam as was the usual with the Winchesters I had found, but he also had a wave of concern as well.  _ This man is something else isn’t he _ ? He had a look about him. The look of someone who has seen a lot of shit. Dean did as well, if not more apparent.  _ Are the rumors true _ ? _ I mean the Winchesters are legally dead. I wouldn’t know if they were alive or not if it weren’t for Bobby. Are these really the men, the heroes that stopped the apocalypse?  _

Sam’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “What?” I asked. 

“You okay? You zoned out.” 

I shook my head. “Yeah. Sorry. I was in the middle of thinking. What’s up?” 

He smirked at me a little then said, “I said, ‘do you think that this Elton guy had something to do with Dana’s death?’” 

“Oh. Definitely. It’s written all over him. But...there’s got to be something more to it. I mean, why hasn’t she gone after him yet?” 

“I’ll guess we’ll find out.” He said as Elton rolled up into his driveway. As he got out we started walking towards his car. He was still in all black, but was carrying a few notebooks with him. One with drawn roses all over it. “Elton Harper?” Sam called out. 

“Agents? Hi…” he greeted. Anxiety rolled off him. 

“Hi.” I said with a smile, “we have some follow up questions if you don't mind. It won’t take long.” 

“Actually I do mind.” He started walking to his door, “I just need to pick up something and then I’m out of here for business im sorry.” 

“What kind of business?” I asked. 

“I’m a singer. Like Maggie. I’m sorry this is a bad time.” He said as we followed him up his steps. “Can you come back tomorrow, I have a rehearsal I need to get to.” 

“Rehearsal for what?” Sam asked the man. 

He sighed and turned from the door. “For the benefit at Isabellas tonight. I’m taking Maggie’s place. Singing the song she would have for her memory. I’ll answer your questions another time. Am I free to go agents?” 

“Yes. Thank you.” I told him then we turned back to the Impala. 

...

  
  


“Even after the guy died this morning, they’re  _ still _ going through with it?” I asked in disbelief. 

“That’s what the planner said.” Dean said after Sam and I sat down. The three of us had met up at a cafe after we had spoken with Elton again. “What about the Fiancé?” 

“He’s singing there  _ tonight _ . Instead of Maggie.” 

“He’s really up for performing after she died?” Dean asked with raised eyebrows. 

“Apparently, and he said he was singing a song that she wrote or whatever. For her memory.” I sighed. “‘The show must go on’, I guess.” 

“Well I got a hold of Dana’s mother.” Dean told us. “Apparently she’s accused Maggie Hall of stealing her songs.” 

A wave of shock came over Sam and I. “You couldn’t lead with that?” I asked dryly. 

He shook his head with a smirk. “Apparently Dana had this song book that she wrote in all the time. Said It was everything to her.” 

“She could be attaching herself to it.” Sam said. “Do we know where it is?” 

Dean shook his head no.  “Did she say what it looked like?” I asked. 

“She said Dana drew roses all over it. Ironic.” 

“Oh crap.” I said when I realized something. “Elton has it. He had it in his hands when we talked to him at the house.” 

“Then we need to go get it.” Sam said.   


“Feel like breakI got into his house?” Dean asked. 

I shook my head. “He left right after us. I saw him take it with him.” 

“Then we wait for tomorrow?” 

“No.” Sam said. “If he’s using it for his performance, Dana’s going to be pissed if she sees him on the stage where she died, singing a song that they stole from her.” 

“Then we get into the party.” I thought out loud, “Pose as guests and sneak backstage.” 

Dean nodded. “Burn it before he performs.” 

“How are we gonna get in?” Sam asked With a wave of defeat. “It’s invitation only.” 

Dean smiled, “I can take care of that.” He pulled out a piece of paper. “The planner should be able to get us on the list.” 

“Seriously? You're going to flirt your way into getting us in?” I questioned. He pressed his phone to his ear. Sam exchanged a look with me. 

“Angie? Hey it’s Agent Plant...yeah. Hi…” he got up from the table and proceeded to speak with her. 

“It’s not gonna work.” I told Sam. 

“I would be surprised too.” 

I chuckled a little. “So if he can't score tickets, should we just sneak in?” 

“That won’t be necessary.” Dean said as he sat down. “Got us in the list.” 

I scoffed, even if he was telling the truth, I didn’t believe it. “You talked to her for a minuet.” 

He smiled as Sam and I sat there in surprise, “what can I say? We all have our talents.” 

I looked to Sam who just shrugged. “Okay...new problem...it’s black tie.” I said to the brothers. 

...

During the craziness of finding a place to rent tuxes for the Winchesters and to find a dress for me, I didn’t have time to find another motel room. So they just let me get ready at theirs. I was working on my makeup behind a closed door as the boys got ready outside. “Dude, you can at least comb your hair.” Sam nagged at him. 

“I will, I will. Yeesh.” Dean complained. “Thank god there’s an open bar at this thing, otherwise I would have ditched the monkey suits and snuck in the back.” 

“Is that the only way to get you dressed up?” I called out while taking the dress off the hanger that hung on the curtain rod of the shower. “Free booze?” 

He chuckled. “That’s right sister.” 

Listening to the brothers made me wish I had a partner in that moment. Someone to banter with me and to bounce ideas off of. The idea sounded nice, but there weren't many people who could tolerate someone like me. I couldn’t help my abilities. And some who I have told...well they just turn away in disgust. I wouldn’t let that happen again if I could help it. 

Still, I had a job to do. So I finished pulling on my dress that I had bought from a local thrift store. It was a navy a-line gown that fit well against my waist, a side slit that ended at the knee which gave me the ability to run if I needed it, and it had a plunging back line that forced me into a strapless bra. It showed off my back tattoos that I had proudly worn however. It wasn’t something I was able to do often, hiding in my t-shirts and leather jackets. 

I finished up and fluffed my hair again, which I had spent the last half hour styling. I took a breath. The dress, the heels, the hair, the extra makeup was so out of my style, yet...I felt good. Then I opened the door. “Alright, I just need my earrings and we can leave.” 

I walked out and headed straight for the dresser across the room. They were a pair of costume earrings that I found at the thrift store too.  _ Thank god for homecoming season _ . As I put the first one on, I felt the waves that I had ignored in those first few seconds, ones of Surprise. 

I turned to see both boys, who were in black and white tuxes, slacked jawed and staring at me. I smiled. “Something wrong?” I asked playfully. 

“No. You uh…” Dean started, then saw Sam’s expression then smirked. “You look...she looks great doesn’t she Sammy?” 

I fought a blush and turned away again. I still felt their eyes all over me. “You boys ready?” 

“Yeah.” Sam said with a wave of embarrassment.  _ Why is he embarrassed? I’m the one they're gawking at _ , I thought. 

“Are those angel wings?” Dean asked. I finished putting on my earrings and turned back. 

Trying to show a little more confidence, I said, “yeah. So?” 

Dean had this stupid smirk as he looked between me and his brother. “It’s...it’s cool. Is there a story behind them?” 

“Yes, but I’m not telling it to you. We just met remember?” I threw on a shawl that came with the dress and grabbed my clutch. “Can we go now?”   


I took this as a chance to take a look at them. The black and white tuxes both fit them well, despite being rented last minuet. Sam had clearly combed his hair to perfection while Dean only mused with his a little bit. Something just kept making me keep my eyes on Sam. The tux did everything for his figure. 

“Yeah,” he said. “Let’s go.” With a small smile. 

We went out of the hotel room and Dean was nice enough to open up the back passenger door for me. I got in without issue, but happy to see Dean in a pleasant mood. It didn’t take us long to drive down to the theater, or at least a block down where we found parking. 

There was a little breeze in the September night air and the area was engulfed in the lights of the surrounding building. We walked quietly towards the event. The front marque of the theater was fully lit now with lights in the name of  _ Isabella _ . It was pretty to see but I wasn’t thrilled with the fact we would have to deal with a fairly large crowd. 

As we got into the small line to let us in, where the event planner was checking off names at the door, I must have looked nervous. “You okay?” Sam asked. 

“Uh, yeah...crowds just make me anxious.” I said with practiced ease. 

“We’ll get this done as soon as we can.” He assured me. I smiled at that. Then it was our turn at the door. 

Dean worked his charms on her some more, even though we were already on the list, and promised drinks with her. As much as I wanted to say we had a job to do, I wouldn’t have minded one while we were at it. 

I wanted to cheer once we were finally in, but seeing the crowded place kept me from doing so. The ground floor of the theater was cleared of its seats and served as a dance floor to the jazz band on stage. To the sides were gatherings of people, and waiters with trays of finger foods waved in and out of the room. It was alive with sound and lots and _lots_ of energy. 

I froze at that. Staring at all the people. Dean had gone ahead to scope out the place, I figured Sam did as well, until I heard his voice. “You okay?” 

I looked to my right to see Sam with concern coming off him. “It’s a lot.” I replied quietly.

“If you want to leave it’s okay-“ 

I shook my head, “no it’s okay.” I took a breath. “I just need to ground myself.” 

He offered his arm with a small smile. “Here. I’ll stay with you until we sneak backstage.” 

I smiled up at him and linked my arm with his. “Thank you, Sam.” We walked forward toward the party. The jazz was nice and the people seemed great, I just was a little overwhelmed. Sam and I had found a bar table that was empty and stuck there for a few moments. 

When I let go of his arm, I remembered sensing a small wave of disappointment. But I ignored it as Dean had found us. “Angie says that Elton doesn’t perform for about an hour.” 

“So we have less than an hour to find him, find the song book, and burn it. Wonderful.” I said as I folded my hands in front of me to keep them from shaking. I had to put up all mental blocks from the crowd, but I couldn’t put it out completely. 

“Drinks while we get a game plan?” Dean asked. 

“Please.” I said dryly while watching the room. They both chuckled at that. Dean then went off again towards the bar. “He wasn’t kidding about the free booze was he?” 

“Nope.” Sam replied. We both chuckled at that. “So There has to be an entrance backstage somewhere right?” 

I smiled, “Yep, and I know right where it is. I got the tour from the owner right before you two crashed my investigation.” 

He chuckled. “Right.” 

“It’s stage left, tucked away in the corner. The door says employees only. If there's no security guard we should be able to sneak in.” 

“Yeah, if we find Elton in time.” 

I looked up at the entrance, “just did. Elton’s here.” He looked up too. Then we both busied ourselves for a moment while he passed. He was greeted by several people and thankfully didn’t see us. 

“He should be going backstage soon.” Sam said to me when we weren’t at risk of getting diagnosed. 

I nodded. “He might have a dressing room or something. We’ll find the songbook there, hopefully.” 

Dean then came back with our drinks. He got Sam and himself their beers while I got a vodka soda. I was trying to look classy at least. “Elton’s here.” Dean told us when I took my first sip. 

“We saw.” Sam told him. “There’s a side entrance in the corner to the left.” 

“I saw it. Surprised nobody’s watching it.” 

I shook my head, “the owner just died and they don’t even beef up security? Still we should be careful. And do it sooner rather than later.” 

We talked for a few more minutes then made our way towards the door weaving in and out of the crowd. I held onto Sam’s arm again keeping steady as I walked through the people and their waves of energy. 

Once I had eyes on the door, I was ready to sigh in relief, but then I saw him. Elton went into the door. “Crap.” The three of us found an empty space at the side of the party. “He’s in there. We’re running out of time. What are we gonna do?” 

“Plan B. Tell him what’s going on and get him to believe us.” I wanted to laugh in Sam’s face. But I knew that was our only option. 

“Let’s go sneak in already.” I walked ahead of them, keeping watch so no one would see. 

I opened it carefully and looked inside a moment, then we all slipped in. The sound of the band and the crowd muffled for a bit as we snuck backstage. We found a few doors which had to be dressing rooms as I felt my spine warm again. And the temperature dropped enough to see our breaths. We all exchanged a look as I found the door with Elton’s name on it. 

I tried the handle but it wouldn’t budge. Dean then moved me out of the way and kicked down the door. Elton shrieked not at us, but at the bloody woman in front of him. My spine lit on fire at the sight. 

Elton was cowering in the corner as the woman glared at us. I opened my clutch and grabbed something just for the occasion. I dropped my clutch as I opened a drawstring bag and threw a bunch of salt onto the spirit. She disappeared but the lights were still flickering. “What the hell was that?” Elton shouted. 

“The ghost of your dead girlfriend.” Sam said to him. “Where’s the songbook?” 

“The What?” He didn’t move from the corner as fear filled the room. 

“Dana’s songbook. We know you have it. Where is it?” I said to him. 

The door slammed behind us. “The drawer! The drawer!” He shouted with panic coming off him. 

Dean went straight to the vanity and opened the drawers. He found the songbook and handed it to me. She manifested again in front of us as he dug out his lighter. “See ya lady.” He said as he lit the book up. She screamed out and reached for it as she burned up. Her spirit was gone in seconds. 

Being old and paper, I threw it in a waste bin to avoid getting burned as it was destroyed. I turned back to Elton. “Are you alright?” 

He slowly got up from the corner and stood wide eyed. “You...you saved me.” 

Sam was able to open the door up again and asked, “what the hell did you do to her?” 

Defensiveness and shame came from him. “Maggie killed her right on the stage. But I didn’t know! I swear. She didn’t tell me until she called me the night she died. I didn’t know. I didn’t know…” 

“Did you know Maggie stole her songs?” I asked him. 

“What? No...she did?” 

“Well I think that was proof enough.” Dean told him. 

I picked up my clutch and out my bag I’d salt back into it. We left Elton in his dressing room with plenty of questions and a performance to put on. It really was ‘the show must go on.’ 

“Nice thinking by the way, little bit of salt.” Sam told me. 

I smirked, “Be ready for anything right?” As we got to the door back to the party, I sighed as we stood in front of it. “I don’t know about you two, but I’m ready to ditch the socialites.” 

Dean smirked a little and tossed Sam the keys. “Then don’t wait up. I’m going to see if that party planner really knows how to party.” He laughed a little and went back through the doors. 

We both chuckled at him. Then Sam asked, “You hungry?” 

“Starving.” I said with a smile. Sam and I snuck out of the party and headed straight back to the Impala. He took me to a diner down the street. 

I ordered a patty melt and fries while Sam got a salad. To which I teased, “rabbit food Samuel? Really?” 

“It’s healthy. And it’s Sam.” 

“Fine.” I said with a smirk. “I like Samuel though.” He just smiled at that despite my teasing. 

“So…” he started. 

“So?” I said with the quirk of an eyebrow. 

“What’s with the tattoo? The angel wings.” I smiled as I looked out the window next to our booth. 

“It's a memorial piece.” I paused to look back at him. “That’s all I’m going to say about it.” 

He nodded at that. “I’m not surprised. I guess in this life we’ve all lost somebody.” 

“Yeah. It’s pretty common amongst us hunter folk.” I took a sip of my coffee. “So, wanna tell me a crazy hunting story?” 

He chuckled a little, “I’ve got too many.” 

“Oh come on Winchester. One. That’s all I asked.” 

“Alright, alright.” He then told me about a hunt involving a ghost ship. It was a harrowing tale with its humorous moments. 

“So you got groped all night by a drunk rich lady for no reason?” I asked between laughter. 

“It gets better. Bella saw the ship  _ that _ night after making the sale.” 

“Seriously?” I was enthralled from beginning to end. I was happy to hear that they saved the girl, even if she wasn’t that great of a person, but nonetheless it was a great story. 

By the time the story ended, Dean had found us at the diner. “What happened to the party planner?” I asked when he sat down next to Sam. 

He shrugged. “Wasn’t down to party as much as I was. So what are you guys up to?” 

“Sam was just telling me your story about the ghost ship.” To which both brothers smiled. 

…

The next morning, after coming back late the night before, I packed my things into my bag and strapped them down to my bike. The boys were all packed up too. I turned to them, my bike now parked next to the Impala. “So, this is it.” I said. 

Sam threw his hands into his pockets as he and Dean stepped closer to say goodbye. “Guess so.” He said. He had waves of anticipation, while Sam had waves of disappointment. 

“Thanks for the help on my case. You were a big help.” 

“Anytime.” Sam said. I smiled at the two of them. 

“Well, y’all have my number now. Call me if you ever need help with another case. Or just to get a beer or something. I’d love to hear more stories.” 

“When we hear a couple of yours we’ll talk.” Dean said with a smirk. 

I chuckled. “Sure Dean.” He smiled then looked between Sam and I. 

“I’ll be in the car.” He said then walked off abruptly. 

I stepped closer to Sam who just shrugged. “Does he have any manners?” I asked. 

“Not really.” We both laughed. “Uh...it was great. Working with you.” 

“Yeah.” I looked down a moment. “Yeah you too. But I’m serious about needing back up. Or that beer.” I said with a smirk. “You know how to get a hold of me.” 

“Yeah.” He said for a moment as we looked at eachother. 

Then I stepped back towards my bike, “Watch yourself okay? It’s crazy out there.” 

“You too.” He waited as I put on my helmet and straddled my bike. I waved them both goodbye and drove off. I still had those butterflies in my stomach as I left St. Louis. I just hoped I would see them again really soon. Especially Sam. 

  
  



	3. Shut up, Dr. Phil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A case leads me back to the Winchester brothers in Prosperity, Indiana. We work a witches case together as we all get to know each-other some more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is an episode insert chapter! I love this one so much and from no on the chapters will be a lot longer! Ps all bold type are texts! Enjoy-Indigo

“I will never fit in. That’s one of my best qualities.”-Terri Willingham 

  
  
  
  
  


I was filling up at the gas station when I got a text from Sam Winchester. 

**He’s hiding something**. 

Sam and I had been texting since St Louis. Friendly conversations over books and current events. Even over a few cases. Lately however, seemed to be Sam venting about Dean. This was clearly about him. 

**What do you think he’s hiding?**

**Don’t know.**

**Okay. Where are you guys headed?**

**Case in Prosperity, Indiana**

**No Shit? Guy who got boiled? Lady who got cooked?**

**That’s the one.**

I thought for a second. I was already headed there but I didn’t want to stumble into one of their cases again. Still, this case smelt like witchcraft and I was itching to nab a wicked witch of the Midwest. 

**Mind if I crash?**

**Don’t mind at all.**

**What about Dean?**

**He won’t mind. Much.**

**See you in Prosperity!**

…

  
  


Prosperity, Indiana seemed like most idyllic small towns. Not a place that I would want to ever call home. I didn’t like them due to the constant melodrama and ‘everyone knows everyone’s business’ attitude. Made it very hard to blend in. 

Still, I checked into the motel, and parked in the lot, and low and behold the familiar Impala pulled in. 

“You stalking us now?” Dean said with a smirk. Thankfully he was only surprised at my sudden appearance, not pissed off that I crashed into their case, like I had suspected. 

“Please if I actually was do you think I would let you see me?” I chuckled as I leaned against my truck. 

“It’s good to see you.” Sam said with a smile. 

“You too Sam.” Excitement and joy wafted off of him, I thought for the case, though I was a little surprised to see that some of it seemed to be for me. 

Dean then asked, “you here for the case?” 

“Same as you apparently. Was headed to meet with the dead realtor’s next of Kin if you wanna to tag along.” 

Sam nodded and said, “Give us a half hour to get settled?” 

“Alright then.” I went into my own room as the boys went off to check in. I opened up my duffle and changed into a pair of slacks, a white blouse, and my blazer. Keeping the heeled booties that I wore all the time, I was transformed into my fed self. Wearing a suit was always so empowering, just, unfortunately, a little impractical. 

Soon enough we were off. Sam accompanied me to speak with the realtor’s sister while Dean went to investigate the crime scene. The poor woman was stricken with grief. Even with walls up, it was hard to stand there in the midst of it. 

“I’m very sorry, I-I know this is a tough time to have to talk about all this.” Sam’s sincerity was there as ever. He had a gift for speaking to victims. He clearly felt bad for this woman, anyone could see it. 

“I’ve already been through it so many times with the lawyers, the police, the insurance guys.” 

“Right. I know, I know, We just,” the pause gave off the small sense of urgency from him. “We have to conduct our own separate investigation. I’m sorry. I know it’s tough. Can’t we ask you...did your sister have any enemies?” 

Panic started to run through the woman’s grief. “Why do you ask that? You think her death wasn’t accidental?” 

I shook my head gently, “No. We just have to consider every possibility.” 

Sam continued. “Is there anyone who might have wanted to harm her?” 

“You don’t live here, so you don’t know.” More sadness came from her, “everyone...loved Wendy. She volunteered at the church. She ran a group for kids. I was the big sister, and I looked up to her.” I noted that no lies came from her. Clearly all of this was true and that we might be coming up to a dead end. 

“What about this man who died...Carl Dunlap? Did she know him?” I asked. 

She shook her head. “I don’t think so.” 

“Well, Wendy was in real estate, right?” Sam continued. “Carl was an architect. Maybe they had some business dealings?” 

“If they had worked together, I would’ve heard the name.” Then she looked up at Sam and I with worry. “Agent Sambora, Agent Jones...if someone did this to my sister, find out who.” 

Sam assured her and she left to attend to more funeral arrangements. We were walking down the street as Dean called with his findings. Sam put it on speaker as he asked, “Wait, what kind of coin?” 

“It’s not American. I don’t know where it’s from. It was wedged back behind one of those machines. Somebody could have dropped it. Of course, they don’t have pockets in those robe thingies that they make you wear.” 

Sam and I chuckled. “I didn’t realize you were such a spa expert.” Sam remarked. 

“Shut up. I observe with my eyes.” 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever you say.” Sam said. 

I asked, “so, you thinking it must be some kind of hex talisman?” 

“Uh maybe.” 

“Alright,” Sam said, “come pick us up.” 

“Why don’t you just run home, Lance?” I chuckled as Sam wafted off some annoyance and rolled his eyes. 

“Dean-“ 

“Yeah I’ll be there in a bit.” He hung up and Sam just shook his head. 

“What’s up with Lance? And the running?” I asked. 

“I’ve started jogging.” I looked him up and down when he glanced away. I can see that. I thought as I bit my lip. I looked away when he glanced back. A little bit of pride bloomed through him, and I smiled at it. 

…

After getting back with Dean, we got a phone call from local law enforcement.Another body dropped. We went to the scene of a contraction sight. After showing our badges, Sam went inside the small, portable building, while Dean and I went to look over the body. A policeman was standing near it, so Dean decided to start asking questions. 

“So What do we know about the Vic?” 

“Dewey Stevens,” the man had sadness come off him as he said the name, “owner, Dewey Stevens Construction, biggest outfit in town. Rotarian, Methodist, tenor, blue-ribbon pecan pie champ, asthmatic.” 

Dean and I stared at the man. Who continued with, “Were a close-knit community.” 

I nodded as we moved towards the body, which was sitting in the portajohn under a jacket that was collecting blood. “So, this, um, pillar of the community…”

Dean then continued for me at the awkward question. “He was taking a leak before he, uh, sprung a few?” 

“Crew had gone for the day.” The officer answered. “Site was shut down. 

Dean decided to take a look at the body and lifted the jacket, revealing two nails in each of the man’s eyes. Discomfort was all over him as he said, “Anything unusual besides the nails in the eyes?” 

I shook my head at the image, disgusted. _Poor man_. I thought. The officer continued when Dean stood upright again, “Well, we're still trying to figure out where they plugged in the nail gun, seeing as there’s no generator on the truck.” 

“Well,” I replied, “when you figure that out, let us know.” 

The officer walked away as Dean had taken a second look inside the porta john. “Hey, take a look.” He held up another coin. 

We made our way inside to Sam, who was sitting at a laptop. “So another victim everyone likes.” Dean started. 

“Not everybody.” Sam replied. 

“Another physically impossible death. You got any ideas?” Both of the brothers had waves of curiosity around them, which was their natural states when working a case I had found. 

“Cirque du Soleil.”

I smirked at Sam’s quip, which brought on an air of confidence, then turned to Dean, “show it to him.” 

“Oh, I, uh, found another one of these, just like at the, uh, the hairdryer/brain-roast.” Dean gave Sam the coin. 

As Sam took a glance at it, “and I found a connection with all the vics. Um, these email logs show Wendy, the real estate chick, uh, Carl, the architect, and this Dewey guy we’re all working on a shopping center project together.” 

“Why didn’t we know about that?” Dean said as he furrowed his eyebrows. 

“Well, it all fell apart for some reason. I mean, there are these emails back and forth, pretty hot and heavy, and suddenly they just stopped.” 

“So everybody working on this project has died?” I asked. 

“Well, not yet. Um, they were working with a developer, a guy named Don Stark.” 

“Don Stark? Why do I know that name?” Dean said. 

I smirked. “Cause we’ve seen him.” 

“Where?” The elder Winchester asked. 

…

  
  


Standing in front of the Town hall was Don Stark's bust. Quite pompous if you asked me, but apparently he was a big time founder to a charity in town. “Man, this Stark guy is really plugged in, huh?” Sam asked. 

Dean had some frustration roll over him as he said, “So, all the players in this...this shopping center project have either fried, boiled, or kebabbed.” 

“He could be next.” I said, finishing his sentence. Then Dean pulled out a flask. 

“Really? From a friggin’ flask?” Sam started, “What are you, bad Santa? On the job?” 

“We're always on the job,” Dean said a little too quickly.

Sam’s phone goes off as I teased, “and I was starting to like you.” 

Dean took a swig rolling his eyes, then Sam read off his phone. “All right, Bobby emailed back. I sent him a few pics of those coins you found. He says the writing is Romanian Cyrillic, used only in the mid-15th to the 19th century. Apparently it’s an antique Wallachian ducat.” 

“A ducat?” I asked. 

“So we’re looking for an old Romanian?” Dean asked not long after. 

“You know, is it just me, or is this really weird?” Sam asked, while taking a look at the plants around the bust. They were dried and dead. 

“Huh, I’ve seen this once before, where the plants are all dead in one spot.” 

“Where?” Sam and I asked at the same time. We glanced at each other and looked away. I noticed Sam had some embarrassment come off him. 

Dean ignored us, “A bus bench with Wendy Goodsons picture on it. I mean, I’m no expert, but I don’t think plants are supposed to act like this.” 

“Let’s go talk to Stark.” I said as we headed towards the Impala. 

…

  
  


“If the bureau’s involved, I assume you think all three were murdered.” Don was a tall man with a very angular face and guided us through his lavish house and into his office. He gave off a sense of worry mixed with guilt. I was immediately suspicious, but didn’t want to give it away just yet. 

“It’s looking that way yes.” Dean replied. 

Sam then asked, “Now, Mr. Stark, you had a relationship with all three victims, correct?” 

“Oh, I knew them in business circles, I guess sure.” It was vague, but it was the truth. 

“And you were all involved in a, uh, a shopping center project?” I asked. 

“Why’d that fall through?” Dean added. 

“Uh, t-these things happen.” Another vague truth.

I sensed her before I saw her. A young, blonde woman walked in and knocked on the doorway. We all watched her as Don introduced her. “Oh Jenny. These gentlemen and lady are from the FBI. Jenny Klein, my assistant.” 

“Hi there. Okay, Don, I’m off to the cleaner’s, and then I’m gonna stop at Beaman, Beaman, and Beaman for the revised contracts.” She was full of bright joy and purpose. And very sweet by my sense of her two seconds of being in her presence. 

“Hurry on back. You know how things fall apart without you.” Don said. 

Jenny just laughed and said, “oh, I baked you some cupcakes, coconut.” 

Don just smiled and said, “Coconut...you’re too good to me, Jenny.” All seemed genuine and truthful when he spoke to her. 

The blonde left and we turned to Don, all of us thinking about the _friendly_ nature of their professional relationship. “She bakes cupcakes.” He explained. 

“Yummy.” Dean said. 

Then Sam started his plan to investigate the house. “You know, could you point me to the restroom? I had a little bit too much Java.” A clear lie but one he said with ease. 

“Yeah, around the corner, down the hall.” 

“Thanks.” Sam left quickly, while Dean and I got back to business. 

“So, usually cases like these-“ I started. 

“Are there cases like these?” He asked with curiosity coming from him, though it was hard to tell through his worry. 

Dean continued. “Oh you’d be surprised. Uh, we start out with the basics. You have any business rivals?” 

“Sure, tons.” More truth from Don, “you know, real estate’s brutal.” 

“Well, that was easy.” Dean remarked. 

But I was surprised when Don continued, “On the other hand, I’ve demonstrated my love for this town, and I think it’s safe to say I’m respected for what I’ve done here.” Another truth. 

We both nodded at that. Soon the conversation led us to Don’s several awards and framed pictures. He was particularly proud of his Citizen of the Year Award. “Yeah, one of my real treasures.” He said. 

Dean then read the message in the picture, “‘To Don...take no prisoners. D. Trump’ The Trumpster! Wow.” 

“Like I said, success breeds fierce competition.” Don explained. Pride wafted off him like he was dipped in it. Clearly a man who liked doing business. 

Sam then came back, leaning against the doorway and putting his hands in his slack pockets, as Don finished his sentence, “but in the end, everyone here respects and admires me.” 

“Including your wife?” Sam asked suddenly. We all stared at him. “Sorry, it’s just, we heard the two of you were splitting up, right?” 

I nodded along as Dean added, “Yeah, that’s uh...that’s what we heard.” 

Don suddenly rolled off sadness and frustration as he said candidly, “Yeah, Maggie and I are going through a tough time. It’s a separation...temporary. Sometimes, you know, you grow apart. It’s no one’s fault.” 

“I’m sorry. Relationships are never easy. On any level.” I said to him. Dean gave me a look as I felt his curiosity charge at me for a moment. 

Sam then asked, “And how would you describe the, uh?...the issues between you and your wife?” 

Don turned back to us and sat down on the edge of his desk. “It’s just one of those marital misunderstandings, you know.” 

“No, i'm sorry. I don't.” Sam pushed on. 

Sam’s confidence rose as I sensed he was getting more answers. Don then replied, with an air of defense creeping up slowly, “It's one of those vague, hard to define passages.” 

It appeared to click between Dean and I at the same time as I said, “did you cheat on her?” Don gave me a look of shock and his anxiety began to waft off him. 

Dean then stepped in, “I couldn’t help but notice, uh, things were kind of cordial between you and your assistant. Pretty good with the ladies there, Mr. Stark? It’s a blessing and a curse, isn't it?” 

Don scoffed at him. “Guys. I’m a people person, and I admire dynamic, confident women, such as yourself, Agent.” 

I smiled at the compliment, though he was dancing around the truth. Then a small wave of worry came from Sam. if we weren't in front of a stranger I would ask, but Sam just asked, “Admire?” 

That’s when Don broke. “Okay, look...it's true I had a recent...little _thing_ with a business associate, but that's all it was.” _Finally_! I thought. Indisputable truth. 

“A thing?” Dean asked. 

“Yeah.” 

I nodded as Sam spurred on with his confidence. “Like a-like a shoe or a golf club.” 

“Right,” Dean replied, “like a waffle iron.” I smiled at their bouncing back and forth.

“Yeah.” 

“Yeah. No, see, Don, uh...wives generally think of an affair as something more than a thing.” 

“Yeah most of us women who choose to be in a monogamous relationship expects it to be just that.” I smiled, fighting a laugh, “and well...we can be just as possessive if not more than men sometimes.” 

“Yes, and when Maggie found out about it, she needed some time off, temporarily.” Don explained. 

“Hmm. Now if we were to guess that uh,uh, business associate was Wendy Goodson, we would win the weekend trip to Maui?” Dean said with plenty of smugness. 

Though now Don was filled with defense and fear, he remained calm. “No, her death had nothing to do with the affair. It was over long before her accident.” 

“If it was an accident.” I reminded him. 

“You're not implying Maggie was behind this.” 

Sam then stepped in, “No, we’re not implying anything. We’re just saying...you should be careful. And take her to dinner and apologize.” He started time leave the room as Dean and I followed. 

“Yeah, and, uh, grovel. Wouldn’t hurt.” Dean added. 

“Or flowers.” I said with a wink. 

We left the house and made our way down the steps, Sam then informed us of his findings. “Found a bunch of hex junk in their stuff-clearly her thing. And the empty closet didn’t seem like she was coming back anytime soon.” 

“Yeah that’s a bad sign.” I remarked as Sam stopped to take a look at the planters. 

Dean continued, “So Don admires Wendy, _biblically_ , Wendy dies weird, and the scorned wife is into the dark stuff.” 

“While Don’s in the dark.” Sam said. 

I nodded as I thought about it for a moment. Dean said, “Hmm. It’s kind of like _Bewitched_.” I raised my eyebrows at that. “You know, Don’s Darrin, doesn’t even know. A lot of laughs until, uh, you cheat on your wife.” 

I chuckled as Sam asked, “A _Bewitched_ reference. Really?” 

“Dude, Nicole Kidman was in the remake. Redhead, Hello!” Dean looked down at his phone. 

“Look at all these dead plants.” Sam said. 

“Huh. It’s kind of like the-“ 

“The real estate lady’s place, and Don’s bust.” I finished for him. 

“You know,” Sam continued, “if she’s strong enough, just being pissed off is enough to send some pretty bad vibes their way.” 

Dean started his call as we walked towards the Impala. “Literally killing off everything around her just by pms-ing at it.” I gave him a dirty look for the joke. To which he ignored and said, “eh. That’s not creepy at all.” Then the person on the other line picked up. “Bobby, hey it’s Dean, listen...Winchester. Yeah very funny…So We need our kind of Terminix...a witch...yeah, we’re headed over to her place to get you some more specifics, so if you could just uh...y-thank-y-“ Dean then hangs up. 

I raised my eyebrows at him when he said, “He’s on it.” 

“Bobby sounds busy.” I said dryly. 

Sam and Dean just chuckle as we got in the Impala. 

…

We found the place where Maggie was staying and pulled up in front of it. Dean went and broke in to investigate while Sam and I stayed by the car. Sam lifted the hood of the Impala as I pretended to make a call, in case one of the neighbors spotted us in broad daylight. Or well the cloudy light as it was drizzling on us. 

Out of nowhere, a fancy sports car comes blazing down the street, with the License plate STARK 2. “Crap.” I said. 

Sam tried to call Dean as she pulled into the driveway. He quickly closed the Impala after I faintly heard all lines busy from the phone. I followed him quickly towards the sports car. “Mrs. Stark.” He called out. 

We held up our badges as the well dressed woman took a look. I asked, “Could we have a moment?” 

Anxiety wafted off her as she realized who we were. “Of course. Um, would you mind coming back, in say, a half an hour? It’s just a really bad time right now.” 

“It’s very important that we talk to you.” Sam said as we both started getting anxious. I wanted to scream for Dean who was still in the house. 

She started walking towards her front door. “Of course, and I’m happy to. I’m just in the middle of an emergency, so please come back. Thank you!” 

We were stopped as she made her way to the door. I looked up at Sam on what to do. Then he glanced at the car, and pushed against it. It set off the alarm which brought Maggie’s attention back to us. Annoyance was all over her as she used her key to turn it off. “I’m sorry, uh...restless leg syndrome.” He said as he brushed his leg against it. 

She turned back to the house as we left the drive way to the Impala. Dean thankfully joined us undetected by Maggie, “Spoiler alert.” He said as he handed me a picture. “Jenny Klein’s next. Swiped her photo off a hex beck, but Maggie’s gonna notice it’s gone eventually. We got to get over to Jenny’s.” 

We jumped into the car and sped away to the assistant’s apartment.   
As soon as we got to the door, I felt a wave of panic and fear. “It’s happening.” 

“What’s happening?” Sam asked with confusion coming off him. 

“She’s getting hexed as we speak. Somebody break down the damn door. Now!” I said panicked. 

They gave me a look before Dean kicked down the door. We all rushed in. Jenny was doubled over coughing up blood. 

Dean went straight to Jenny as he yelled, “Find the coin, now!” Sam started looking through the cabinets while I went through the living area’s couch. Panic was in all of us as Dean said, “come on, Sam!” 

Eventually Sam found it and pulled out his gun. He shot the damn thing and Jenny stopped choking up blood and breathed. Relief came from all three of them as my own heart began to calm down. 

Dean and I helped Jenny lay down on the couch and we stepped away to let her calm. Shock was all I could sense from her when Sam and I sat besides each other at the counter, staring at her. Dean was leaning against a support beam not too far from us.

Eventually, she began talking. “There were tiny beating hearts in my cupcakes.” Panic rose in her with every word. “There were hearts in my cupcakes, hearts in my cupcakes!” Her voice shook, “That’s never happened before! Hearts in my cupcakes!” 

Dean didn’t know what to do. “Should I slug her?” 

“Dean.” I said with warning in my voice. 

“Give it a second.” Sam said calmly. 

Then she sat up and looked at us. “Oh, my god. What just happened?” Panic and questioning was all over her. 

“You were hexed.” Sam informed her. 

“Hexed? Who are you people? What the hell do I do?” 

“What you do is you go in there and you pack a bag, you get in your car, and you go.” Dean swiftly explained. 

“Go where?” She asked. 

“It doesn’t matter where,” I said with as much gentleness as I could. “You need to go for your own safety.” 

Sam continued, “look, five hundred or six hundred miles ought to do it. You got someone real powerful, real pissed, and they’re trying to get rid of you now. In line with that, you might want to cool things with Don Stark.” 

Confusion came from her along with the panic, “Don Stark? What are you talking about?” 

I quirked an eyebrow as Dean said, “you and Don. You know.” 

“‘You know?’ There’s no, ‘ _you know_.’” She was telling the truth. Waves of disgust. 

“No?” Sam asked. 

“Don Stark is my boss. That’s it. He’s married, for God's Sakes.” 

“Yeah, well…” Dean said as I rolled my eyes. 

She scoffed. “Me and Don Stark. Ew.” We all exchanged a look before getting up to get her the hell out of town. 

…

We found Don Stark's car outside of the town hall building, so we decided to wait for him to follow. Dean was in the driver’s seat while Sam sat shotgun. I sat behind Dean with the windows down as I waited quietly. 

Leaving my walls up, I only felt a few little waves of curiosity and slight apprehension as Dean asked, “so...how did you know what was happening to Jenny before we even knocked on the door?” 

Sam turned to Dean with furrowed eyebrows and looked at me for an answer. I sighed. I looked out to the park. _They were bound to find out sooner or later._ I reasoned. “I felt her fear. Her fear of dying.” 

“You felt it?” Sam asked. Wonder and concern was wafting off him. 

I waited a moment, hoping that these boys saw the grey area as much as I do. “I’m an Empath. I can sense anyone and everyone’s emotions...if I’m close enough.” 

Dean turned back. “Why didn’t you tell us?” Waves of surprise and hurt came off the two of them. 

“Because it’s personal. It’s a _vulnerable_ part of myself that I don’t talk about to people I barely know.” Before another word could be said, Don emerged from the building. “Look.” I told the brothers. 

We watched him in silence. Dean turned on the Impala and moved us closer as I don’t think any of us could believe what was happening in front of us. The bust of Don was shaking in its place. Eventually so much so the face cracked off. I sat there with my jaw slacked. 

I wasn’t close enough to sense Don but when he looked up at a window in the building, he seemed to be incredibly pissed. 

“Now she's just getting nasty. Killing the girlfriend is one thing, but his commemorative bust? That’s got to hurt.” 

“This is bad.” I said. 

Sam had concern wash over him. “She’ll take the whole town out, Dean, she doesn’t care who gets in the way.” 

Then Dean answered his cell phone. “Hey, Bobby. What do you got? ...yeah?...You think it’ll take her out?...All right...No, I don’t need to write it down. I’ll remember, go ahead….mm-hmm...the-Wait. Hang on. hang on.” He gestured for help needing something to write with, I rolled my eyes as Sam looked for a pen. “Yeah? Wait. Was-ho-ho-hold on. Hold on, hold on.” Sam finally handed him a piece of paper and a pen. “Okay, What was the, uh-what was that last one?” 

…

We went back to the motel to get the spell ready. Sam went out for a few ingredients, including a whole bunch of chicken feet, so Dean and I stayed back hanging out in their hotel room. I had finished my dinner already and was reading a lore book about witchcraft on the couch. Dean had just pulled out a pie and fork. 

“Pie Dean?” I asked with a smirk. 

He rolled his eyes at me. Still, there was an air of distrust from him. I knew he had trust issues, so I was wary of giving him any reason to not trust me. The brothers hadn’t asked me anymore questions about my sudden confession to them fortunately, we were a little busy. Then Sam returned. 

“Dude. Pie.” Dean said. Then Sam set a plastic bag down filled with raw chicken feet. Dean leaned back as the smell hit him. “Ugh. That is-“ 

“Chicken feet,” Sam replied as he sat down next to me. “Just like the recipe calls for. Butcher’s fridge is down.” 

Dean disgust rolled off of him, enough to make my own stomach churn. “I can smell that.” 

I scrunched my face as the smell hit me. “Why is that?” I asked. 

“Uh, says the powers been wonky and that he’s lost so much product, he probably won’t make rent. Ditto every shop on the block...nothing but burst pipes and blackouts.” 

“Huh.” Dean said as he stared at the bag. 

“He says it’s like all of a sudden, the town ran out of luck.” 

“So, coincidence, right?” Dean asked as he picked up the bag and walked towards us. 

“In our line of work?” I asked dryly, then plugging my nose from the smell. 

“Uh...yeah. We’re past the point of dead flowers.” Sam remarked. 

“What can I say?” Dean continued. “I guess the witch is pissed. Alright, let’s uh-we better get a move on here. Why don’t you just…” He held the bag out at arms length. “C-can you take the feet?” 

“Ugh.” Sam said as he held out the bowl and let Dean drop it in. 

“I’m going to go get my gun from the truck.” I said, practically running out of the room to get away from the smell of the rotting feet. 

…

  
  


With the spell prepared, we drove across town, trying to find Maggie, but when we saw flashing lights in front of the Town Hall, we stopped. We went in with our badges, though I felt inconspicuous without my fed clothes, and soon we found a pool of blood and a woman’s body without her head attached. “Woah. Clean-up on aisle seven.” I rolled my eyes at his remark. 

“Innocent victim Dean.” I remind him. 

“Okay, I don’t guess she’d do this to her own auction.” Sam said. 

“No, obviously it was someone who hated her guts and wanted her party trashed.” Dean said as we looked at the melted paintings. 

“Don Stark.” I replied as we all realized the one person who could possibly be this pissed. 

We exited quickly to make our way towards Don’s. Dean continued to elaborate as we walked towards the car. “So, the mister’s a witch, himself. That means we got not just one pissed-off witch. We’ve got two. It’s full-on _War of the Roses_.” 

“ _Bewitched_ just got a lot less funny.” Sam remarked. 

“It’s like when they switched Darrins.” Dean said as we jumped into the Impala.   
  
“Yeah, I’d take _Blair Witch Project_ over this crap any day.” I muttered as we drove away. 

We made our way to the couple’s house and sat there waiting for Maggie to find her way home. Sam was waving off impatience as we watched the home. “Where is she?” 

“She’ll be here.” I assured him. I was also trying to assure myself. My own anxiety to stop this was making my hands shake. 

“They’ve been throwing thunderbolts at each other’s favorite toys. There’s nothing left to destroy but each other. This is basically ground zero.” Dean explained. 

“I hope so. We’re gonna need them both in the same place if we’re gonna take them down.” Sam said. 

“I’m starting to get the feeling we’re bringing a knife to a gun fight, you sure it’s going to work?” Before either brother could answer me, Maggie’s car approached. 

“Screens up, Captain.” Dean said as we leaned carefully out of view from her car. 

We followed her into Don’s home with Dean carrying the bowl of the nasty concoction. When we stood in front of them, Dean quickly said the words as Sam lit a match on it. White smoke blew up as we waited for something to happen to the witches. 

When nothing happened, Maggie just said, “let me guess...chicken feet? Not chilled?” 

“Wonderful. Gun fight.” I mumbled as we braced for what they were going to do with us. Sam and Dean both had panic wave off from them while the couple in front of us were just annoyed at our presence. 

Don then stood, “for obvious reasons, you won’t be leaving this room.” He put down his glass. “Well, you will be leaving, just not alive. Maggie?” 

I swallowed the bile in my mouth as they began a chant. Sam then said, “okay, plan B.” 

“What’s plan B?” Dean and I asked at the same time. 

“Talking.” 

“Now? Really?” Dean asked. 

“This is obviously a domestic dispute. So if you can’t kill them, counsel them.” 

“Yeah, you know what? Not my area!” Dean said. Then he tried speaking to them, to which thankfully they stopped chanting. “Okay, okay, okay. Uh…” Dean put down the bowl. “Look, obviously, you two are capable of wiping each other out, right? But you haven’t, huh? Which means that you two, you still value whatever it is you got. A-and you want to keep that dance going.” I raised my eyebrows at him, “maybe it’s-maybe it’s punishment. Maybe it’s-its sick, messed up, erotic, kinky, clamps and feathers kind of love.” 

My cheeks heated up a little, but Sam tried to keep them from getting anymore pissed. “Okay, okay, t-that’s-that’s going way too deep, there, cowboy. Look, what he’s trying to say is that-is that you two-whatever it is you have, you’re bonded.” 

“Are you out of your mind?” Maggie said with anger waving off, “He cheated on me, humiliated me.” 

“We totally understand. Your anger is valid on that.” I told her. 

Sam continued. “We’re not trying to say what Don did was right, when a relationship cracks, usually both parties have a hand in it.” 

Don said, “Indeed.” A wave of satisfaction came from him. 

“You're defending him?” She said, then she reached out and caused Sam internal pain. He groaned and dropped to the floor as I stared at her in terror. 

“Woah! Okay, okay! Okay, look-n-nobody can defend Don, right? Uh, totally,” My eyes grew wide at Dean as he spoke. “But, uh, we get that you feel betrayed...because you were.” 

“Don’t suck up to her.” Don said and sent Dean flying backwards into the glass door. Now it was just me standing. 

Maggie then said, “I was betrayed by all of them. Carl introduced you to Wendy. Dewey covered for you. Wendy did you.” 

“Okay!” I said. “Look, Don isn’t lying when he says he’s regretful.” 

Sam stood. “I don’t think so either, look the whole Wendy thing-“ 

“Thing? Sit down!” She said and Sam fell to the ground again. 

“He meant affair. Which it was.” I said with my palms towards them. 

Sam then rolled over in pain, saying “yeah, affair-that’s right, terrible.” 

“I think the only thing he regrets is getting caught,” Maggie said as he turned back to Don. 

“Wendy was nothing to me. It was over as soon as it started.” Don said, regret coming off of him. 

“She was part of a pattern, okay? I’ve had eight hundred years of _this_. Do not make me bring up the Renaissance!” 

“Oh! Oh! You’re one to talk. 1492 ring any bells?” He bickered. 

“The man was about to set sail! He could possibly fall off the edge of the earth, I took pity. So, what’s your excuse?” 

“I told you! Nothing happened with the Medici chick! You’ve always been insanely jealous.” I glanced back as they were distracted. Dean was getting up from the mess of what was the glass doors, and I went to Sam placing a hand on his shoulder attempting to help him back up. 

“Oh, I wonder why! Jenny. Wendy.” 

“Jenny?” Don asked. “Nothing happened with Jenny. She’s just my assistant.” 

Dean was in the doorway, as he said, “That’s true. She, uh-she told us-just an assistant.” Without a word, Maggie threw him to the wall, “woah!” 

“You're not helping.” I said through gritted teeth as I stood again. “Look, woman to woman.” I said to Maggie. “Jenny is not involved. I heard it from her myself.” 

“Is that true?” Maggie asked him. 

“Yes, I swear it, babe. I would never. I made a mistake. I’m sorry, Maggie.” 

Sam then stood next to me, and said, “See? See? Guys, guys...you’re talking. All these years, you-you-you buried your anger and your disappointment till it tore you apart. All you needed to do was talk.” 

Dean was standing again, _he just won’t stop will he?_ I thought. He then said, “And I would have missed the nuking that my melon just took. Well, who wants that?” 

I should have expected it. Maggie slammed him into the wall again, pinning him, and Don also raised an arm. Dean was now surrounded by Bees. “Nice touch,” Maggie said. 

“Thank you.” Maggie laughed at Dean as Don looked at her. “He’s right. I couldn’t kill you. All I ever wanted is you, Mags. I’ve been crushing on you since forever. You’re the woman that I want to never grow old with.” 

They got close as Maggie said, “I could never murder you either, Don. It’s crazy...but true.” They startEd kissing, all of the anger dissipating from the room. 

Dean, still surrounded by bees interrupted the moment by saying, “Somebody want to call these things off? Ex-excuse me!” 

...

We all went back to the motel exhausted. I followed them in on the promise for a good drink. I sat on the couch as Dean pulled out a flask and drank from it. Sam raised his eyebrows at that, a little concern rolling off him. “Oh, give me a break.” Dean said in defense. 

“I didn’t say anything.” Sam told him. 

“It’s been a long day.” 

I was about to ask for a swig when a fourth voice entered the room. “And it’s not over yet.” 

They turned around, and I rose from the couch, my gun in my hands instinctively. Dean had his too. As the man walked in. “Hi Sam, hi Dean.” Looked me up and down. “I don’t know you, but hi anyway.” 

“Do we know you?” Sam asked. 

“Well, I definitely know you. You’re the dead guys. Well, you will be in a minute.” Dean and I both fired at him in the chest, black liquid coming out instead of blood along with the bullets. 

“The hell?” I asked. 

The man then said, “Sorry. You’re a bit outmatched.” The man came at Dean and punched him. Sending him to the floor. Sam got in front of me and tried to catch his punch, instead getting the man to grab him by the throat. 

“Sam!” I yelled out. Then he just let him go. Soon enough the intruder was on the floor, and Don was in the doorway. 

Dean said, “Don. Well, thank you. We owe you.” 

“Good god. What is that thing?” Don asked. I helped Sam up. 

“I was about to ask the same thing.” I said as I watched him. 

“I guess we should be figuring that out.” Sam said to me, making sure I was okay. 

“It is on our to do list.” Dean quipped. 

“You know, find a bottomless pit and drop it in. Spell only lasts for a few days.” Don proceeds to walk towards the boys' beds and feels underneath the mattresses. 

“Uh, what are you even doing here?” Sam asked. 

“Apparently, saving your lives-twice.” He held up a coin. “Got it.” 

I scoffed, while Sam said, “Maggie? Seriously?” 

“She was gonna kill us? We just saved your damn marriage.” Dean said, annoyance rolling off him. 

Don had both coins in his hands as he said, “Yeah, but to be fair, you also tried to kill her, you know how she is when she gets a bug up her ass. Got to love her, right? Right.” He looked down at the body infront of us. “Bottomless Pit....Ciao!” He closed the door behind him as he left. 

“Where’s the damn flask?” I asked. Dean handed it to me silently and I took a swig. Letting the burn go down nicely. “What the hell are we gonna to do about him?” I nodded my head towards the body.

After chaining the guy up and gagging him, he was in the backseat of the Impala. We all were ready to ditch town as Dean was talking on the phone with Bobby. “Yeah, he’s ready for transport. I just hope you got someplace you can put him, Bobby...Alright.” 

Dean hung up as I leaned against my truck. “Headed to Bobby’s huh?” 

“Yeah. He’s gonna figure out how this thing works.” Dean said. 

“Does this _thing_ have a name?” I asked. 

“Leviathan.” Sam said plainly. 

I shrugged a little. “Wonderful. Let me know any and all info on these suckers, please. In case I run into another one.” 

They both smiled. “Of course.” Sam said. 

I put my hands in my pockets. “So...you both know my secret.” 

Dean nodded. “Yeah. About that...so you know what everyone's thinking?” 

I laughed. “No. Like I said, I sense what everyone around me is _feeling_. Emotions. I sensed Jenny’s fear though the door, hence why you broke it down and saved her in time.” 

“How long have you been able to do that?” Sam asked. 

I shrugged. “I’ve had it my whole life. It runs in the family too. And I can’t really turn it off. But it _does_ help with hunting. Reading people, and being able to sense ghosts.” 

Surprise and a little bit of pride came off of Dean. “Really?” 

“Yeah. Though that’s one of the few perks. It’s mostly a pain in the ass.” 

“How so?” 

“Well, it’s exhausting. Feeling everyone else emotions involuntarily on top of your own.” I shrugged again and looked away. “And when I’ve told people in the past they look at me like I’m a _freak_.” 

“You’re not a freak.” I looked up at Sam. Sincerity was all over those words as a sudden burst of warmth and compassion came from him. I smiled at him as he did the same. 

Then Dean interrupted the moment, “We should hit the road. You ready?” 

I nodded as I opened up my truck door. “You boys stay out of trouble, and stay in touch!” 

“You too.” Sam said. 

I was the first to pull away from the parking lot, full of hope that I would get to see them again soon. 

  
  



	4. Season 7, Time for a Wedding!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On a potential Demon hunt when I got a weird phone call from Dean. Sam got married in Vegas. Now I’m called in to fix his mess and a friend of mine comes in to help out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So new chapter. I love this season so much, but wanted to start off with a few favorites. Btw, Garth is one of my favorite recurring characters. I love him. So enjoy!-Indigo

_“Stay kind. It makes you beautiful.”_ -Najwa Zebian

  
  
  
  


I finally got to Delaware in another cheap motel room. I locked up my truck, which had my bike chained down in the bed, in front of the room’s door and dragged myself in. A weird death and Demon omens were all over this town, and I hightailed it as soon as I heard about it. 

I dropped my duffle bag on the end of the bed and collapsed next to it. It had been a long day of driving. Taking a moment to close my eyes, I almost drifted to sleep when the blaring ringing of my cell jerked me awake. I sat up and pulled it out of my jacket pocket. My nose scrunched as I realized who it was. “Dean? I know I said stay in touch, but it’s late. Please tell me you're not in any trouble.” 

“I’m not. Sam is.” He replied. My heart dropped. 

“What happened?” I said more alert. 

“We were in our sacred Vegas Trip right? Then he decides to pack up and take a solo camping trip in the desert.” 

“Is he lost?” 

“No. I got a text tonight with an address. I went there to find a chapel. He got married!” 

I laughed. “Dean. Oh my god, you got me. What’s _really_ going on?” 

“No, he _actually_ got married.” I dropped my smile. 

“ _What_? Did he have a stroke or something?” I didn’t understand it. Sam didn’t seem like the person to not tell me about a girlfriend over the hours we had spent texting one another over the last few weeks. And I didn’t think he was stupid enough to marry a stranger, at least that’s what I thought. 

“Maybe? Or there’s witchcraft involved or something. And get this, he’s married to this girl we know, Becky-“ 

“Becky?” Somehow the sound of her name left a bad taste in my mouth, though I didn’t really know why. 

“Yeah, she uhh, knows us, kind of. Anyways she’s a civilian who has been in love with Sam for ages, but he would _never_ get with her. I-I don’t know what to do here. I need you to fix him.” 

“What do you mean _fix him_? I don’t like this as much as you do, but I only worked a few cases with the guy. Shouldn’t you be able to handle it? You're _his brother_ after all.” 

“He won’t listen to me. And you two seemed to really hit it off.” I smiled a little at that. 

“Okay, I would if I could, but I’m on a case in Delaware-“ 

“Where are you?” 

“Delaware. Just got here. Why?” 

“That’s where Becky lives, and the newlyweds are heading there now.” 

…

I was sitting at a local coffee shop waiting for Dean. It was drizzling outside, so I was equipped with my dark pea coat and umbrella. I walked there, foregoing driving in the rain. Thankfully I kept a tarp ready for days like these and wrapped my bike as tightly as I could shielding her from the rain. 

When Dean came in, he was filled with worry. So much so that it made my stomach churn. As soon as he approached the table, I got up and gave him a hug. “It’s good to see you Dean.” 

Though he was surprised by my arms being around him, he quickly hugged me back. “You too, kid.” 

We pulled away and he sat in front of me. I sipped on my coffee as I asked. “How are you doing?” I didn’t need to, but felt inclined to try to get him to open up. 

“I’m fine. Sam isn’t. And,” he pulled out a newspaper from his pocket. “There’s this.” 

The article was about a Lottery winner who died in a freak accident. “This is the Vic I’m here for.” 

“Dreams coming true and getting killed there after.” He shook his head. “I don’t like it.” 

“Me neither. It sounds like demon deals maybe, but the timelines are off. However it’s not what we need to worry about right now. Let’s talk about Sam.” 

Dean rubbed his face, frustration wafting through the worry. It was getting more and more intense as I sat near him, so I quietly started blocking it, something I only did when in the middle of a fight or someone was giving off the most extreme emotions. “He just...he wants me to support him and I just can’t wrap my head around it.” 

“Well...does he seem happy?” I even wanted to kick myself for saying it, but I was still new with the brothers. 

“I guess. But it’s weird.” 

“Why?” 

“Cause people like us don’t get _happy_.” 

“I can agree with you there. But...you know what, why don’t you _try_ being supportive. Hear me out.” I said before he could protest, “Maybe he’s actually in love and happy. You _want_ him to be happy right?” 

“Of course I do.” He looked away from me. Then an idea struck him. “What about you?” 

“What about me?” 

“Your ESP or whatever. Can’t you tell if someone is in love?” 

I raised my eyebrows. “Well not exactly. Just the general emotions of people. For instance, you're _really_ worried right now. It’s almost too intense for me. I’ve had to put up mental blocks.” That came out of my mouth before I could stop it. 

“Sorry.” He said quietly. 

I thought about it for a moment, he seemed desperate, “but I _can_ tell when someone’s lying.” 

Surprised rolled off him. “Seriously?” 

“Yeah. I don’t tell people that. They don’t normally trust me after, but...your case is kind of special.” 

“Great.” He got up and pulled out his wallet. Leaving a few bills on the table, effectively paying for my coffee, he said, “let’s go. You can interrogate Becky.” 

“What? No, I don’t do that. I only use my abilities for good.” 

Then he gave me this look. The kind of look mixed with hope, worry, and wonder that was rarely seen on a face like Dean’s. “Please.” 

I huffed. “Let’s go, but you have to try the support thing.” 

“How am I supposed to do that?” 

I smiled as I stood, “I have just the thing.” 

We walked out of the coffee shop as I filled him in on my plan, but was shocked to see him walk to an old, blue dodge. “What happened to your car?” 

A wave of stale anger came off him. “Sam and I are being hunted down by Leviathan, so Baby was put on lock down.” 

I shook my head. “Baby had to be put in a corner huh?” I gave him a sympathetic smile, “I’m sorry.” 

…

  
  


Dean and I stood in front of Becky’s apartment door. “I hope this works.” Dean said as I knocked. He held a brand new waffle iron box, wrapped in a red ribbon. I held some flowers that I hoped Becky would appreciate. 

“It will, just relax.” I assured him.

After a beat, Sam opened the door. Dean immediately held out the gift. “Me being supportive. Congratulations to you and the missus.” 

“Thanks.” 

“It’s a waffle iron. Nonstick. Yeah, you just, uh…” he rambled trying to explain the thing. “I actually don’t know how to use it. Are we good?” 

Sam took it with a smile, but when he looked at me, it disappeared. “What are you doing here?” 

I smiled through it. “I was in town, and I heard you got married. So I thought I would come by with flowers and meet the new Mrs. Winchester.” 

It was strange. It was like talking to an inanimate object; I couldn’t read Sam. _That’s very, very weird Scary even._ It was the most unsettling thing I had ever encountered. 

Still he let us in. Dean ignored the sudden change in our dynamic and rambled on, “so I’m sniffing a case in this town. The score is…” The apartment was clean and fully of colors. I walked carefully in and watched Sam put down the gift. “Guy wins Powerball, gets squished by a truck. Second guy went from the bench to the Majors.” 

“One week later, his face was the catcher’s mitt.” I continued for him as Dean just stood in silence. 

I turned to see a girl, Becky I figured, standing awkwardly, desperately trying to look suave, as she ignored me and said, “Our first thought was crossroads demons, but there’s that ten year time frame on collecting souls.” 

Sam proceeds to stand next to her as I did my best to smile at the couple and introduced myself. “I hope you like daisies. Congrats.” I gave them to Becky as she scrutinized me for a moment. She gave off the sense of curiosity and jealousy at me for a moment, then took the flowers to the kitchen. 

“Thanks.” She said. “How do you know Sam?” 

“We worked on a couple cases together. We’re friends.” 

“Work acquaintances more like.” Both mine and Dean’s heads whipped around at Sam who just watched Becky as she placed the flowers in a vase. His words would have stung if I wasn’t so weirded out by not being able to feel his emotions. It was like being cut off from him. I hated it.   
  
Then Becky walked back into the room, standing in front of the wall labeled _Sam and Becky's Investigation._ She continued. “Then there's cursed object, like in _Bad Day at Black Rock_ , but we haven’t been able to connect the vics yet.” I quirked my eyebrow, _she referencing a movie or something_? 

Dean then seemed to be awakened from his shock. “You’re working this case...together?” 

Sam smiled again. “Yeah. I know right? I mean, I guess all those Chuck Shirley books paid off.” 

“I’m sorry what books?” I asked. 

Becky seemed to forget about her jealousy, “they are like the most amazing things in existence. Works of _genius_ . They are a series about Sam and Dean! You know, their adventures of Sam leaving Stanford after his GF got killed by a Yellow Eyed Demon, then hunting said Demon down. Dean making a deal with _another_ Demon and going to Hell, and so many more! They are amazing! _And_ , the best part, they _actually_ happened.” 

My eyes were the size of dinner plates as I slowly looked at Dean and Sam. The younger brother seems indifferent to Dean’s total embarrassment and horror as Becky told me, albeit in short, their backstory. I cleared my thought as I realized Becky was telling the truth on that one. “Okay. I didn’t know that.” I looked away from her to Dean for some kind of help. 

Unfortunately, supportive Dean was out the window. “Alright listen, Cookie. I don’t know what kind of mojo you’re working, but believe me, we will find out.” 

Sam then lost his patience with his brother as Becky and I watched with our jaws slacked. “Dean, that’s _my wife_ you’re talking to.” 

“You’re not even acting like yourself, Sam!” 

“How am I not?” 

“You married Becky Rosen!” 

Then for the first time I heard Becky raised her voice as annoyance and anger wafted off of her. “What are you saying? I’m a witch? Or maybe I’m a siren. Ever occur to you we’re just, I don’t know, happy?” 

That was it. It wasn’t much, but it was there. The faintest feeling of a lie when she said that last sentence. It gave me hope, but it was hardly enough evidence to start accusations on the girl. 

Still Dean ignored her. “Come on, Sam! Guy wins the lotto, guy hits the bigs. Alright, obviously, uh, people’s dreams are coming true in this town. Don’t you think this is a little bit of a coincidence?” 

Sam seemed done, though the fact I couldn’t read him with the majority of my walls down still ebbed at me, he said, “You know what, Dean? What Becky and I have is real. And if you can’t accept that, that’s _your_ problem, not ours.” 

“Or maybe she’s part of it. Because for whatever reason, you’re _her_ dream. If you really care about her, I’d be worried. Because people who do get their little fantasies or whatever seem to end up dead pretty quick.” 

“You know,” Sam seemed to ignore Dean’s reasonings, “I went after her, Dean. Maybe that’s what’s bugging you-that I’m moving on with my life. I mean, you took care of me, and that’s great. But I don’t need you anymore.” 

I felt it. Dean’s hurt washed over me like a tidal wave as he stormed out. I fought tears as I said to Sam angrily, “the hell is wrong with you? He’s your family Sam.” 

“Becky is my family now. And I think you should go.” He said as he stood next to her. She was full of mixed emotions. Guilt being the greatest one. 

I composed myself. “I’m already gone.” I soon found myself heading to the Dodge. Dean was in the middle of a heated argument on his phone. Once I got in he got a name from, who I presumed was Bobby, the phone and hung up. 

Then I finally burst into tears. I covered my face as I let a few tears fall. “Are you okay?” He asked as he pressed a hand to my shoulder. 

I wiped a few tears away. “Yeah, I just...sometimes when there’s so many emotions in one room, I get affected. It’s not so glamorous feeling everyone’s emotions sometimes.” 

He nodded as he waited for me to calm down. After a few moments he asked, “what do you think?” 

“Becky...it’s possible she lied. It was faint but there. But it’s kind of hard to accuse her with no _real_ evidence. There’s a reason why polygraphs aren’t admissible in a court of law.”

He nodded, then asked, “What about Sam?” He gave me a knowing look. _He must have put together that I felt his hurt at his brother’s words_.

“Dean...what he said in there. I don’t think he meant it.” 

“What do you mean _you think_? I thought you said you can tell when someone lies.” 

“I can. But...with Sam, something’s wrong.” 

He got all worried again and his face turned cold. “What?” 

“I couldn’t read him. It was like talking to a wall. I got _nothing_ from him.” 

“What the hell did she do to him?” 

…

  
  


“So I didn’t catch the name of who Bobby sent.” I told Dean as we walked into the restaurant. 

“Some hunter named Garth.” 

I grinned. I had worked with Garth on a few occasions before. He was sweet, granted a little eccentric, but he wasn’t that bad of a hunter. Dean walked through the place ahead of me, looking for his contact, and I watched with anticipation for the man’s reaction. 

“Hey. You Dean?” A voice asked. Sitting in a booth was Garth. About my height and on the skinny end, he smiled brightly as he saw me. “Well I’ll be! Bobby didn’t say you were here.” 

I giggled as Garth’s pleasant surprise filled the room. He got up and gave me a big hug which I was happy to oblige. “Garth, this is Dean. Dean, this is Garth.” 

We all sat down as Garth said, “hmm, I thought you’d be taller.” 

I fought a chuckle at Dean’s annoyance. Still he went straight to business. “I assume Bobby filled you in on the road.” 

Garth nodded as he sipped on his milkshake. “He told me two things. One, he’s tangling with a major-league nest up in Oregon territory. Numero dos, he said you’d be all, uh, surly and premenstrual working with me.” I couldn’t hold my laughter anymore at Dean’s face. Though I kept it short as Garth continued. “But, hey, man, sticks and stones.” 

“So we think we found a case.” I said lightly. 

“Check the headline.” Dean said as he put down the newspaper he had shown me earlier. 

Garth took the paper and flipped through it. “First things first.” Then he found the page he was looking for and laughed, another spark of joy and humor coming through him. “Oh Maramaduke, you’re crazy.” I smiled along with him. 

…

After a stop at the motel, we all changed into more business casual attire. We headed to an Insurance building where we found the potential next victim. Posing as the press, we were waiting to see the new CEO while a woman yelled at the poor Secretary. 

I whispered to Dean, “see another reason why I don’t work corporate. This place is a ticking time bomb of emotion. I wouldn’t handle a day.” 

He chuckled a little, but dropped his smile when Sam and Becky emerged from the office. Garth spoke up, “hey is that your-“ 

“Yes.” Dean and I said at the same time. 

“Awkward.” He said as Dean got up. I quickly followed, not wanting him to explode while undercover. 

“Hi.” He said to Sam and Becky. 

Becky’s discomfort and annoyance crept up quickly as she scowled at Dean and I before walking away. “Hi.” I said simply to the taller Winchester, though he seemed to focus only on Dean. 

“Okay, so…” Dean said in his brother’s silence. Sam still stood there, no emotion whatsoever coming off him. It left my stomach churning as I stared at him.

“So,” Sam finally spoke. “So, uh no point in going in. Guy’s clean.” 

I raised my eyebrows. “You sure?” 

“Yeah. Positive.” He smiled proudly, “Becky grilled him like a pro. She’s a real natural.” 

“Huh?” Dean said. 

Sam then looked over to Garth. “What’s with the scrawny guy?” 

Dean rolled his eyes. “Temp.” 

Sam left unceremoniously, and we were next to meet with the CEO. We walked in. Garth and I took seats in front of the man, while Dean stood behind us. 

“Throw a rock hit a reporter these days, eh?” The man chuckled. There was a little anxiety, but overall very neutral. 

“Well, your story’s a big deal over at the, uh, the Actuarial Insider.” Dean said. 

“Go ahead. Shoot.” 

“Alright. Uh…” I asked, “how’d you get the gig?” 

“Board came to me, asked. Said yes.” 

“Just out of the blue?” Dean questioned. 

“Pretty much.” 

“Huh. And, uh, any idea how the board landed on you over your supervisors?” 

“Um they didn’t say.” 

“Could you tell us what specifically excited the board about your actual qualifications?” Dean edged on the interrogation side of things with that last one. 

“Say fellas, what’s with the third degree?” 

“Oh, uh, no offense. We were just wondering if you got here by nefarious means.” Garth said. 

My eyes widened as I said, “Garth?”

“Oh. Uh, I-I didn’t mean, of course, uh, corporate backstabbing-I’m sorry. I meant more like, uh, you know, black magic or hoodoo.” 

Dean then covered for him by laughing. I went along with it. “He jokes. He’s a jokester. Let’s, uh, rewind. Why don’t, uh, why don’t you tell us what it felt like when your big dream came true.” 

“Look, for the record, it’s great.” The man said. 

I raised my eyebrow. “Off the record?” I asked. 

“It’s not my big dream.” 

Garth asked, “Wait. You didn’t want this job?” 

“Hell, no. I’m a sales guy. I was good in sales.” The man soon stopped as a woman came in the doorway. 

Annoyance was all over her. “Your secretary’s an idiot. I’ll be at the printers this afternoon.” 

“All right, dear. See you at dinner.” 

“Just have the idiot make a reservation. Here’s a tip-remind her she works for the CEO. One more screw up, she’s fired.” With that she left. 

“Your, uh, wife seems pretty stoked on the promotion, don’t she?” Garth asked. 

“Honestly, I’ve never seen her happier. I have no idea how I’m gonna tell her I have to resign. The news is just gonna-“ 

“Kill her?” Garth asked. _Gee a little on the nose dude_. But he was right. We needed to talk to her ASAP. 

…

We found her walking down the stairs, thankfully catching her. “Mrs. Burrows? Hi.” I said as we caught her. 

“Can I help you?” 

“Yes,” Dean started, “were, uh, we’re doing a story on your husband’s promotion. Wanted to ask you a few questions.” 

“I’m sorry. I can’t today. If you schedule it with his girl…” As she turned to leave, Dean put a hand on her shoulder. A little panic came over her before I could stop him. 

“Okay, you know what? I’m trying to save you from a really bad accident.” 

“Are you threatening me?” 

“No.” He took his hand off of her. “No, I-I-Im pointing out a pattern. Why do people keep thinking I’m threatening them?” 

“Because it sounded exactly like a threat, dude.” Garth pointed out. 

“Look, for your own good, What did you do to get him promoted?” 

“I Have no idea what you’re talking about. Now leave me alone. Or do I have to call security?” 

I stepped in. “Not necessary. You can go.” She left, and once she was out of ear shot I whispered to the boys, “Let’s follow her.” 

…

We followed the woman down to the large lobby of the building. As she was talking on the phone ahead of us, I heard the crack of the light fixture as it was coming down, almost on top of her. Dean narrowly tackled her, saving her from being crushed. 

I ran to their side helping them up. “Dean! Are you okay?” I asked. 

He nodded then asked the woman. “You okay?” 

“How did you know?” The panic and relief coming from her was dizzying, but I was glad she was okay. 

“Cause you’re not the first. Come on.” He said. 

Then Garth came up to us. “You want to tell us what’s up here?” 

The woman sighed, “I was having lunch with friends. This guy heard me bitching. Next thing I know, he’s making me an offer.” 

“An offer?” I asked. 

“Craig’s job for my soul. I know, hilarious. I mean, what have I got to lose?” 

“Well, there’s your soul.” Garth said then looked at Dean and I. “What kind of demon deal is this? Timeline’s whack.” 

“What are you talking about,” she asked, “Demon?” 

“Let me back up here. You made a deal with a demon in exchange for your everlasting. Except those are ten year contracts. Why’s the bill coming due so fast?” 

“I don’t know, but I got a bad feeling about who’s next. We got to find Sam, pronto.” Dean said. 

I nodded in agreement. Then Garth started his plan. “Alright, alright, alright. Uh, here’s the plan. I drop this lady at my cousin’s. He’ll stop anything trying to get her. We, uh, find Sam, hopefully fix this, everybody’s home in time for _America’s Got Talent_.” I smiled at Garth, proud of his ability to get things done. He turned to the woman. “Now, you-you’ll be living with a try-racial paraplegic sniper until this all blows over, okay?” 

“Let’s go.” I said. 

…

After getting the lady to safety, we went over to Becky’s apartment. Though, _I_ didn’t want to break in, Dean insisted and picked the lock. With guns drawn, we entered cautiously. Garth rushed through checking the bedroom and Dean closed the door. He was in a perpetual cloud of annoyance whenever he was in Garth’s presence. 

Seeing that no one was home, we started snooping. I took a pause when I found a picture of Sam and Becky on their wedding day. Something ebbed at me. A bit of jealousy I figured. _Why am I jealous? Even if it isn’t real, do I really want that_? I shook my head from the thought and began looking through the kitchen. 

Dean called out, “Anything?” 

I shook my head, and walked into the bedroom. I found that Garth went to Becky’s computer which was left open on her desk. “Uh, she’s got eleven Twitter...ers. Last post, ‘Going on romantic trip with hubster!!!’ Three exclamation points. I guess she got excited.”

Then I found a picture and showed it to Dean. A younger Becky standing in front of a cabin with a fishing rod, complete with fresh fish. “That look romantic to you?” I asked them. 

Dean took it and showed Garth. “Oh, hell, no. But I got this thing about fish. Dead eyes, man.” I chuckled a little at that. 

Dean then took out the picture from the frame and looked at the back of it. “Huh.” He said. 

We tracked down the cabin, and made it past nightfall. It was clear people were home by Becky’s car, complete with a painted ‘Just Married’ sign. We walked up to the door. “Okay. This time, can I take the lead?” I asked. 

I knocked on the cabin door with Dean and Garth just behind me. Becky answered with a potion bottle in hand. “What are you guys doing here?” She asked, full of guilt and anxiety. 

I swallowed and put up my walls, It was so potent. “Becky, we need to talk.” 

She crossed her arms, not even bothering hiding the filled bottle. “About what?” 

“Where’s Sam.” Dean asked with urgency. 

“Dean let me handle this.” I looked at her. “Becky, we know about the Demon. And I'm ninety nine percent sure that's a bottle of love potion.” 

Her shoulders slumped and sighed. “I just...I want to be loved okay. And I want Sam.”

I nodded. “I understand that Becky. But this isn’t the way to do it. Love potions? The love that comes from them isn’t real. And I think you know that.” I said it to her as gently as possible. 

She moved out of the way and said, “he’s in the bedroom.”   
  
Dean pushed past me and went straight to the door. Garth and I followed into the living room. I jumped when Dean burst laughing. Garth and I exchanged a look then I said, “What now?” 

“Dean! Dammit. Unite me!” I heard Sam, glad to be hearing his voice as annoyance waved off him. 

Then I turned to Becky, “you tied him up?” Becky shrugged as Dean was still laughing. “Dean! Unite him now! Don’t make me go in there.”   
  
Eventually he calmed down enough to untie Sam and to find him a pair of pants. Yeah, Becky decided that they were too constricting. I tried my best to be gentle with Sam as he just avoided me, waves of embarrassment all over him. 

After realizing Sam was not dosed up on love potion any more, we geared up with a plan, and we headed towards the restaurant where Becky’s demon would be meeting with her after the reunion.

Garth, _bless his heart_ , decided to drive Becky in her car while I got stuck in the Dodge with the boys. Sam and I were both sitting in silence, while Dean just teased him. 

“That wife of yours man. Great pickins.” Waves of Embarrassment and anger came off of Sam, though I barely felt them as I blocked most of it out. An old defense mechanism that I had developed over time. 

Dean also decided that when a love song came on the radio and turned it up to full blast, letting the music just make everything feel worse. Well, until I said, “Dean. I’m armed. Turn it off.” 

With one scowl through the rear view mirror, he obliged. Still he had that stupid smirk on his face. 

…

  
  


We infiltrated the place just in time for all of the civilians to leave. I, with Dean beside me, hid behind a wall, far from the Demons sight, as we waited for Becky to use a ruse to get him trapped. 

“You're making the right choice.” The demon said.

“I know. So...we seal the deal with a kiss?” she said. She was filed with nerves as she lured the demon. _Strange how she trusts us_. I thought. 

“Exactly. Pucker up, sweetheart.”

With the click of a lighter, I heard the flames engulf around the devils trap. “I’m not your sweetheart!” She told him as we made ourselves know. Becky was filled with pride as the Demon wafted off anger. 

Garth, bright as ever, said holding a bottle, “Blueberry vodka. The answer to all of life's problems.” 

Becky stood near Sam as she filled the room with pride. “You see that, Sam? I did it just like we said! I am awesome!” Though that pride was quickly stamped out by Sam’s unamused expression. “I'll be over here.” 

The demon spoke up with a smile. “Dean Winchester. This is really thrilling. Hey, can I have your autograph?” 

I smirked when Dean pulled out a Demon knife, and said, “Sure. Yeah, I’ll, uh, carve it into your spleen. So, how are you running your little scam?” 

The demon dropped the smile. “Well, how do you mean, Dean?” 

“Like you don’t know.” I said dryly. 

“Signing ten year deals, snuffing 'em that week.” Sam remarked. 

“Well, I would never. No. Rules of the road-can’t lay a hair on any of my clients.” 

“Right,” Dean snapped back. “So, how you cheating it?” 

“I’m not a cheater. I’m an innovator. It’s called a loophole, you moron.” I quirked an eyebrow as Dean smirked at him. “Yes, when a person bargains away his soul, he gets a decade, _technically_. But, accidents happen.” 

“So you’re arranging _accidents_ and collecting early.” Sam said. 

The demon said smugly. “Oh please. White gloves. I don’t get my hands dirty.” That’s when I felt another presence enter the room. “That’s why it's important to have a _capable_ intern.” 

My eyes widened as I saw him. “Guys!” Another demon had appeared and threw us backwards. I landed on a table, which tipped over under my weight, while I saw Dean get thrown to a support beam, losing the knife. 

As I tried to get up, I noticed the new Demon being released by the other. “What time did I ask you to be here? What time did I ask you to be here!?” he shouted. 

I scrambled looking for the knife while the crossroads demon appeared in front of Dean. Dean was on his feet and threw some holy water in the demon’s face. He recoiled in pain as Dean began to recite an exorcism. Soon enough, the demon had him by the throat. 

Just as I found the knife, Sam yelled, “Becky, run!” As soon as Garth started to stand, he was hit and unconscious again. 

I got up from the floor to plunge the knife into the Demon, but I was thrown in the opposite direction back to the floor. Before I knew it, Becky had the knife in her hand and stabbed him in the back. 

The demon dropped as I had gotten up, just to see Sam grab the knife and throw it to Dean. I rushed over to the brothers as Dean held the first Demon with the knife at his neck. Sam was now on his feet. I placed my hand on Becky’s shoulder, “you okay?” 

She gave me a silent nod as Dean asked the Demon, “How many deals you got cooking in this town, _Madoff_?” 

“Fifteen.” 

“Yeah, well, call them off, or I’ll cut my own _loophole_ in your throat.” Dean threatened. 

Just as the demon said “Oh crap.” Another presence filled the room. One of purpose, pride, and anger. A lot of anger.

“Yeah, you said it. You’re in a world-“ 

“Hello boys.” Another Demon with a British accent and in a neat black suit was standing on the other side of the room. 

Dean gave an, “Oh, crap,” Himself, and turned the Demon around, holding the thing from behind with the knife still at his neck. 

We all stared at the demon. His power filled every bit of the room and my stomach churned even with all of my walls up. “Sam, mazel tov. Who’s the lucky lady?” He looked between us and quickly noticed the ring on Becky’s finger. 

She filled up with excitement and a touch of terror as she said, “You’re Crowley!” 

He seemed a little disappointed as he said, “And you’re-well, I’m sure you have a wonderful personality, dear.” Then he looked at me. “Haven’t had the pleasure. You're their new plaything aren’t you?” 

“Watch it. I’m _no one’s_ plaything.” I said through gritted teeth. 

He smirked a little as he stepped forward, to which Dean said, “Ah, another step, and I’ll Colombian necktie your little friend here.” 

“Please, don’t let him get off that easy.” I raised my eyebrows at the big bad demon’s response. 

The other demon started to panic. “Sir, I don’t think that you-“ 

“I know exactly what you’ve been doing.” Crowley glanced at the other Demons body. “A little birdie named Jackson sold you out, emailed all the juicy deets to my suggestion box. I assume... _that’s_ my whistle-blower? Shame. Had a future.” He glared at the other Demon. “Unfortunately, you don’t.” 

“I was just-“ 

“I only have one rule-make a deal, keep it.” 

“Well technically, I didn’t-“ 

“There’s a reason we don’t call our chits in early...consumer confidence.” He raised his voice, “This isn’t Wall Street! This is Hell! We have a little something called _integrity._ This gets out, who’ll deal with us? Nobody! Then where are we?” 

“I don’t know.” The fear from him was staggering. 

“That’s right. You don’t. Because you’re a stupid, shortsighted little prat. Now,” he looked to Dean, “hand the jackass over. I’ll cancel every deal he’s made.” 

“What are you gonna do with him?” Dean asked. 

“Make an example of him. Fair trade, right? We all go our separate ways. No harm done.” I raised an eyebrow and looked at Sam. 

“What, out of the goodness of your heart?” He asked the demon. 

“Years of demons nipping at your heels, haven’t seen one for months. Wonder why?” Crowley asked. 

“We’ve been a little busy.” Dean remarked. 

“Hunting Leviathan-yes, I know. That’s why I told my lads to stay clear of you meatheads.” I would have laughed if I didn’t want to encourage him. 

Sam then asked, “So, What do you know about-“ 

“Too much. You met that _Dick_ yet? Smuggest tub of goo since Mussolini. I hate the bastards. Squash ‘em all, please. I’ll stay clear.” 

“Rip up the contracts first.” Dean said. 

Crowley snapped his fingers and said, “Done...and done. Your turn.” 

The Demon really panicked now. “No, no, no, no. Let-“ 

Dean shoved him towards the demon. Crowley then said before they disappeared, “Pleasure, Ladies, Gentlemen.” 

After all of that, Garth finally came too and got to his feet. “What’d I miss?” Dean just threw his hands up at him as I chuckled a little.

“ _Everything_.” I replied. 

…

The next day we all went up to Becky’s apartment. Garth, Dean and I stood there and watched as Sam signed annulment papers. He passed it on to Becky across her table. 

“It...it wasn’t all bad, right?” She asked, with waves of hope passing through her. Sam just gave her a stern look, which I had seen a lot of in the last twenty four hours, so much so I started calling it his _bitch face_. All of that hope disappeared from her. 

He sighed, even in the anger, he still had a heart. I smiled at that as he said, “Okay, y-you did save my life, and for that, thanks.” 

“So, I’ll see you again?” 

“Yeah, probably not.” Her face fell, and she signed the papers. 

Sam then said, with his compassion coming off as she looked defeated, “Becky, look. You’re not a loser, okay? You’re a good person, a-and you’ve got...a lot of...energy. So, you know, just do your thing, whatever that is, and the right guy will find you.” 

I glanced up just in time to see Garth have a wave of hope when Becky looked at him. I scoffed quietly as Dean said, “no. No.” 

“Hell no.” I added firmly to him. Sam left the table and I walked past him. “Hey Becky, can we talk? You’know, woman to woman?” 

She raised her eyebrows as the boys looked at us. Surprise was coming from all three of them. I smirked as she stood and we went to her bedroom. “What’s up?” She asked. 

“Becky. I admire you. You're clearly smart. Smart enough to get Sam friggen Winchester to marry you. And pretty. And _certainly_ vivacious.” She smiled at that. Her confidence started to come back. “Honestly, you're better off without him.” We both glanced back, all three of them watching and clearly wondering what the hell we were talking about. “Hunting life. It’s usually no place for a serious relationship. _Too many_ stakes. You could’ve gotten killed. And I think your too good for that.” 

I took her hand, and said, “you deserve a guy, who actually has a job, a sensible car, and is _bonkers crazy_ for you. And won’t get you killed. Okay?” 

She nodded with a better understanding. “Okay. Thank you.” 

After a quick goodbye, we all were in the ally way. The boys were leaning on their car while Garth packed up. My truck was ready to go as I was getting ready to say goodbye. “So what did you two talk about up there?” Dean asked. 

“Ah you know...girl talk. Tampons. Magazines. How a civilian dating a hunter is a bad mix,” they both chuckled. “Plus, I wanted to give her a better pep talk.” 

Sam looked a little offended. “What’s wrong with what I said?” 

I rolled my eyes. “Oh please, you stumbled over every word and was kind of vague. Plus I think she needed somebody with a lot less testosterone to give her some advice.” He nodded in agreement, as Garth walked up. 

Dean then said, “Well, buddy, I got to say, man-you, uh...you don’t suck.” I gave him a look as he patted him on the arm. 

“Thank you. That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me. Well…” Garth's eyes started to well up as I felt his joy come over him. He went over and gave Dean a hug. 

He just awkwardly patted him on the back, and said, “oh, yeah. Alright, that’s-thank you.” 

Garth stepped back and looked at me. “It was great seeing you Garth. Drive safe okay?” I said with a smile. 

He gave me a hug, “you too Darlin’.” He stepped away and waved as he went to his car. 

“Take care.” Dean said to him, then uttered when Garth was out of earshot, “wow.” 

Sam then teased quietly, “Aww you made a fwiend.” 

Dean just said, “Uh-uh.” 

I then defended him by saying, “that's rich coming from you Mr ‘i just got married in Vegas.’” 

We all laughed as Garth drove off. Then a wave of regret came off Sam. “look, guys, uh...when I was all dosed up, I-I said some crap.” 

“Oh, you mean, she-she wasn't your soulmate?” Dean asked. 

I shook my head as Sam said, “Shut up. I mean, I do need you watching my back. Obviously. Both of you sometimes.” 

I smiled at that. Dean just kept teasing. “Yeah, when, uh, crazy groupies attack.” 

“Hey.” I said with a little warning. 

“You know what I mean.” Sam said. 

“You know, I got to say, man...For a whack-job, you really pulled it together.” 

I raised my eyebrows at them, for a moment they forgot I was there. “That’s the nicest thing anyone's said to me.” Sam said with a laugh. 

I rolled my eyes. “Okay guys. I know I got the crazy version from Becky, but you need to fill me in. What's going on with you?” I asked Sam directly. 

Clearly looking for the right words, he sighed. Then I said to him. “Okay. Too big of a question. Let’s make deal.” They both scoffed at me. “Poor choice of words. You don’t have to tell me now, but there’s nothing stopping me from finding those books and finding out for myself.” 

They both looked at me, basically pleading not to do that. “Well you don’t-“ Sam started. 

“Let me finish. I won’t, _if_...you call me for the next, big, juiciest hunt you come across. Something that hasn’t been hunted before really. We kill it, and you buy me dinner after, and we’ll talk about your back story.” It was a little forward, but hell there was something there that made me want to be a little forwards. 

Sam’s eyebrows raised at me, then he nodded. “Okay.” Surprise was coming off him as Dean just had pride. 

“Okay. Well, I gotta hit the road. I’ll see you boys.” I gave them both a hug and went to my truck. 

As I started it, I heard a little bit of their conversation. “You’re a hike in the desert, hippie-douche grown up.” 

“Dude, I was camping. You camp.” 

“Yeah, whatever hippie.” I laughed as I drove away, wondering if they were actual magnets for crazy hunts like I What I had seen already. 


	5. How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys think they are tracking the Jersey Devil, so they call me in along with a dear, old mutual friend of ours; Bobby.

“ _The trouble is, you think you have time_.”-Buddha 

  
  
  
  


I was at a Gas’n’Sip in Pennsylvania when I got a phone call from Sam. “I was wondering if you were ever gonna call, Winchester.” I said as I sipped my gas station coffee.

“It’s good to hear from you too. Where are you?” 

“Pennsylvania. Just got done with a Salt and Burn. What’s up?” 

“Hold on Dean wants to talk too…” soon I heard the elder Winchester’s voice. 

“Ever heard of the Jersey Devil?” 

“Of course. One of my favorite local legends.” Then I realized what they were hinting at, “Hold on are you boys-“ 

“Hunting it? Maybe.” Sam replied. “You wanted juicy and monster. Here it is. I’m sending you coordinates.”

“Think you can meet up tomorrow?” Dean asked. 

“For the Jersey Devil. Hell yeah! See you tomorrow, What Eleven?” 

“Sure.” 

“See you boys.” I said with a smile. 

“See you.” Sam said as we hung up. I bit my lip a little as I wanted to squeal I was so excited. Groundbreaking monster hunt and I got to see the Winchester’s again. I was ecstatic. 

…

  
  


I was right on time at the coordinates the boys sent me, half an hour early in fact. I didn’t see any sign of them in the parking lot of a Biggerson’s, so I flipped down my visor and messed with my hair a little. I was beginning to wonder if I needed a trim when they finally pulled up. 

Both Winchester’s got out of the car in their Fed suits, prompting me to get out myself. “Good morning.” I said as I walked up to them. 

“You’re early.” Sam said as he gave me a quick hug. 

“Yeah, so?” I asked cheekily. 

Dean gave me a hug and clapped his hands after he pulled away. “So we have a meeting with a Ranger about the local camper deaths.” 

“Alright, straight to business. Is he coming here?” I asked as we walked into the restaurant. To my surprise however, he was already there. 

The man cheerily waved us down as his lunch was set in front of him by a waiter. Soon we were sitting in front of him. He seemed to pay not much mind to my appearance, as I was wearing a pair of jeans, a blouse, and a modern looking, grey leather jacket. Dean and I were sitting in the booth, while Sam sat in a chair on the end. 

After pleasantries, Dean started with, “So, Ranger Evans-“ 

“Oh, uh, you can call me Rick. Ranger Rick.” I was surprised by his enthusiasm by that. 

“Uh, you were the one who found Mitchell Rayburn, correct?” Dean asked. 

“The human burrito.” He said with a little pride coming from him, though he seemed very indifferent about it. Like he almost didn’t care about the person who had died. 

Sam then said, “State police have it down as a bear attack.” 

Ranger Rick laughed, “Yeah, I read what the state police says. That was no rogue brown.” 

“Apparently, some others reported seeing something a little, you know, weirder.” Dean said. 

“You know, I’ve been a ranger for twelve years. Tell you the truth, we have no idea what’s out there. Big. Lot of trees and whatnot. Tell you this, though. You got to respect Mother Nature. You respect her, or she’s gonna string you up, and she’ll eat your ass right through the Goretex.” 

I raised my eyebrows at that. “So you’re thinking it’s Mother Nature?” I asked. 

“See, me and Phil, we’ve been finding, uh...something’s leftovers for weeks-deer remains, badger, missing pets.” There was no worry from him, despite getting concerned myself. 

“Who’s Phil?” Sam asked. 

“Assistant Chief Ranger.” He then raised his eyebrows as realization came over him. “Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Phil in a couple of days.” _Oh great_. “He’s supposed to call from whatever station he’s checking off. 

“But you think maybe your assistant chief ranger might be missing.” 

“I should probably report that.” He said with a bit of a blank stare. 

Then the bell of the front door went off, and I looked up to see a familiar face. Bobby in his fed suit and tie was standing there for an update. I smiled as I felt his presence, the ever loving and sweet nature of the man came in a small wave. Dean noticed too as he excused us from the ranger. 

I grinned as I saw Bobby’s smile. “The boys didn’t tell me you were here.” I said as I gave him a hug. 

“Neither did they say you were going to show up. How’d you get mixed up with them?” He asked with a quirked eyebrow. 

I chuckled and said, “I’ll tell you over lunch.” 

“So?” Dean asked Bobby. 

“Well, I took a look at the cadaver-What’s left of it. Not a happy camper.” I smirked a little at that. “Don’t have any stats on a Jersey Devil, but the bite radius on the vic’s wounds-it’s too small for a leviathan. And he’s still got a ventricle and some change, so I doubt we’re talking werewolf. And, a wendigo don’t leave no scraps.” 

I shook my head. Then Dean asked, “Lunch?” 

“Starving.” Bobby replied. 

Dean then got the attention of a passing waiter. “Hey! Uh, Brandon. Can we grab a booth?” 

Annoyance came at a fast wave from the man. “Hey, uh, Douche wad, a hostess will seat you. Do I look like a _freaking_ hostess?” 

I raised my eyebrows at the waiter’s attitude. “Do you want to look like...a hostess?” 

“Nice comeback.” I said to Dean as the waiter walked away. 

“That didn’t really make sense, what you...said.” Sam added with a chuckle. 

“What was that?” Dean was still a little shocked. 

“I sure hope we don’t get Brandon’s section.” Low and Behold, we did get his section. As we waited on our food, I had sat next to Dean, across from Sam, while Dean sat across from Bobby. 

We were chatting, catching up. “How did that Vamp case go up in Oregon?” I asked Bobby. 

“Ran too damn long. Ah, but you would know if you called more.” 

I rolled my eyes while Sam and Dean smiled, “I know. I know, old man. But I called you last week.” 

“Yeah over a poltergeist. Which I thought I taught you how to handle better.” 

I chuckled, “you did. I just needed a reminder.” I smiled fondly at him. He meant no disrespect, just wanted for me to do better. He had taught my parents everything, and he taught me quite a bit as well. 

He smiled back a little as he and Dean talked more about the case. That’s when I caught Sam staring. As soon as my eyes landed on him, he looked away. A wave of embarrassment and excitement ran off him. And I would be lying if I didn’t say I didn’t have butterflies in my stomach after that. The moment was cut short however. 

Brandon had returned with plates of food. Starting with Sam, “Sidewinder soup and salad combo goes to Big Bird.” Then a plate for Dean. “TDK slammer to Ken Doll.” He put a plate down for Bobby. “A little heart-smart for creepy uncle.” Then finally me, “And Cheese burger, no onion for leather jacket Barbie.” 

“The hell?” I said to the waiter. 

Dean had had enough too, “What is your problem?” 

“ _You_ are my problem.” He stormed away. 

“Oh my god.” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. I was starting to get a headache, a side effect of being around someone incredibly angry. 

“Oh, Brandon’s got his flare all up in a bunch.” Bobby said. 

“Yeah, there goes his eighteen percent.” Sam then looked at me. “You okay?” 

“Yeah. He’s just...very, _very_ angry. Angry enough to give me the unnecessary side effect of a headache.” 

Bobby had a wave of surprise. “You told them?” 

“Yeah...it came up in our case in Prosperity. We’re good.” I smiled at him a little to try to assure him. Bobby nodded in approval. 

“What’s with the ring?” Sam asked. 

I looked down at it and smiled. “Old family heirloom.” 

Dean then said, “Anyway, chief ranger...I don’t think he believes in the Jersey Devil.” 

“Oh, oh, by the way, did he seem a little, uh, stoned to you?” Sam asked. 

“Ranger Rick?” I said, “yeah.” 

“Yeah. Definitely growing his own on the back 40 and smoking all the profits.” Dean quipped. 

Sam then said, “He did seem to think that there was something-“ 

At this point, Dean had taken a bite of his sandwich. With a mouthful, he said, “Oh, that’s a good sandwich.” 

“What the hell did you get?” Bobby asked. 

Dean turned a card on the table towards him. “New Pepperjack Turducken Slammer-limited time only.” 

I raised an eyebrow as Bobby said, “Bunch of birds shoved up inside each other. Shouldn’t play God like that.” 

“Hey,” defensiveness coming through him, “don’t look at me sideways from that-that Chinese chicken geezer salad there, okay?” Bobby furrowed eyebrows, “This is awesome. Like the perfect storm of your top-three edible birds.” 

Sam then steered the conversation back, “All right, anyways, um..,the ranger did seem to think there was something out in Wharton Forest.” 

“There’s something out there.” I said. 

“Well, then I’d say it’s safari time.” As Bobby finished that sentence, shouting began to interrupt everyone’s meals. 

We all looked up to see our waiter, Brandon, yell at the manager. “She’s big boned!” The man tried to reason with him. 

“Look at her! You’re telling me she’s not fat?” 

“Hey!” 

“Up yours, Mike.” He threw down his apron. “Shove it up yours!” Brandon left without another word. 

“Well, anyway, back to bigger and better things.” Dean said and went back to his sandwich, completely indifferent. 

…

We finished lunch and paid without much more incident. We all drove back to the place where they boys and Bobby were squatting, which I wasn’t looking forward to at staying. 

As safety goes from Leviathan, finding abandoned homes in the woods was probably best, but I’d rather sleep in my truck. Much warmer, though by what they had said, they got some heat going. I parked out front and grabbed my duffle. I also took an extra few blankets I kept stashed there knowing that the place probably didn’t have a real bed to sleep in. 

Dean guided me through the house rather pleasantly as I climbed up the stairs after him. He showed me a bedroom that had hardwood floors and a dry spot in the corner. I threw my things down as he said, “home sweet home.” 

“Yeah, till we kill this thing, then I’m hightailing it for a real bed.” He chuckled at my comment, and left for me to change. We wouldn’t be there long. We were heading out to hunt the damn thing in a matter of minutes. 

I ditched the blouse for some hiking boots, a thicker pair of jeans, a t-shirt, blue and grey flannel, and my leather jacket. I bounded downstairs with my keys to head to my truck. There I found Sam, who had already changed into his normal layers of flannel. “Hi.” I said. “Gonna grab a few things from my truck. Bobby and Dean close to ready?” 

“Bobby’s getting the shot guns, but I can help you get whatever you need from your truck.” He offered as he followed me outside. 

“Just grabbing my pistol. But come anyway.” I said smiling. I went to the back of the cab and opened it. Leaning in, I used a key to unlock a compartment underneath the seat. 

I stood upright and stuffed the keys in my jacket pocket. Then I lifted the seat to show my own hidden Arsenal complete with silver bullets, knives, and a very special item. 

“Is that a sword?” Sam asked as he leaned in above me to check it all out. 

I moved past him a little, trying my best to ignore how close we were, and picked up the weapon carefully. I grasped the iron hilt in front of me and took it out from its sheath. “Even better. _Demon killing_ sword.” 

“No way.” He said as I carefully handed it to him to take a better look at. 

“Yeah, kind of like that fancy dagger you guys have. My dad made it for me. Iron hilt and base. Steel blade. The runes on it are new however. After that run in with that Crossroads demon, I started poking around looking for a way to get one. Found a very powerful witch who knew a spell.” 

“Seriously?” 

“Yeah. That’s a whole other story. She nearly died doing it. And it cost me a thousand bucks.” 

“It works?” He asked as he handed it back to me. 

“Yeah. Though I don’t think we need it for the Jersey Devil, if that is even what it is.” 

“You look disappointed.” He said with a little smirk. 

“Just wanted to see if it’s real.” I resheathed the sword and put it back in its place. I then took out my gun and loaded it. “You should have seen me when I was told that BigFoot was a hoax.” Sam and I both chuckled at that. 

I closed up my arsenal and locked up my truck. We walked back into the rundown home to find Dean and Bobby packing up a few packs and four shotguns. Sam and I stepped in to help. 

Within minutes, we all were strapped into one car and headed out to Wharton Forest. 

Bobby, Dean, and I were carrying packs up the hiking trail. All four of us had rifles in our hands. It was cool out and misty in the green place. Following Bobby quietly, we stopped as he found a tuft of hair. _Deer_ , I thought to myself as I recognized it. “Couple of bucks, head-butting over turf probably.” Bobby told us, “Pretty sure the other fella won.” Dean and Sam exchanged a look as Bobby stood back up and we continued on. 

Later, Sam had a wave of surprise and nostalgia come off him. “I guess I forgot. Before you were a hunter, you were actually a...hunter.” 

“Yeah, well, we shot our dinner when I was a kid.” 

“You used to take us hunting. Remember?” Dean said with a smile. “Dad had a case, he’d just dump us in you. Shoot, you must have taught us most of the outdoor tracking we know.” 

“Yeah, What I could get to stick.” A wave of nostalgia came off of Bobby too.

I raised my eyebrows at that, “you couple of city-slickers? Wow. I’m impressed.” I teased. 

Sam chuckled while Dean said, “ah, shut up.” 

“I never could get you little grubs to pull a trigger on a single deer.” Bobby mused. 

“You’re talking about Bambi, man.” Dean argued playfully. 

“You don’t shoot Bambi, jackass.” Bobby said. 

“Yeah, you shoot Bambi’s mom.” I finished for him. I chuckled a little, knowing I had that same speech given to me a long time ago. 

“You talking from experience?” Sam asked. 

I chuckled, “yeah, actually. My dad grew up in Alaska, so I did a lot of hunting as kid. Even into high school.” I turned to the elder hunter, “Hey Bobby, remember the bear hunt in Alaska?” 

“Bear?” Dean asked. 

“Yeah, your daddy wanted to take you on a damn right of passage. Your mother wanted you two to come back in one piece, so she sent me.” 

I smiled at the mention of my parents. “So what happened?” Sam asked. 

“Took three days to drive up there, then spent two weeks in the woods, tracking a bear, and killing a bear.” I informed him. 

“Don’t forget who did the kill shot, missy.” Bobby said with an air of pride. 

I smiled, “yeah, you coached me right through it, then helped gut the ‘poor bastard’ as you called him. We had bear for weeks after that. My dad was so proud though, he wanted to mount the damn thing.” 

“Did you?” Dean asked.

“He got stuffed, then my mother donated it to a local Natural History museum behind his back. I could’ve cared less.” I said with a chuckle. 

After a few more steps, walking with Dean and Sam’s surprise, we stopped. A single bloody, human hand was hanging from a tree ahead of us. “Well, looks like we found Phil.” Dean said with more of that indifference. I furrowed my eyebrows as I moved to my cellphone to call Ranger Rick.   
  


…

It wasn’t until after dark that the Chief Ranger arrived at the sight where we found the body. I was pissed to say the least. It was getting cold, and I was done with Dean. He just didn’t care. At all. The stubborn and passionate man didn’t care. I was stumped, and passed at myself for not figuring it out. 

The Ranger pulled up and got out of his truck. “Special Agents. Listen, I got your call. But I’m not sure I got what you were saying.” 

Dean then used the light on his gun and pointed at the arm. The ranger then said, “Hey. I think we found Phil.” 

“That's what I said.” Dean noted with a little smile. 

With the same indifference Dean had, Rick said, “Uhm I should probably call this in.” 

I rolled my eyes at the men. “Yeah yeah. Solid move, Rick.” Sam said to him with annoyance coming off of him. 

The ranger went back to the front seat of his truck. Through the indifference of Dean and Rick, there was a new wave. A new presence. I focused on it. Oddly I thought it was human, but all it spewed out was pure hunger. “Bobby. Something’s here.” I muttered quietly. 

He looked at me for assurance and heard something moving in the bushes. Just as the ranger got someone on the radio, all of our guns locked on to the sound, Bobby said calmly, “Ranger, I think we’ve got company.” 

“Yeah? Who’s that?” He said. With a second, Rick was dragged into the trees. 

“Ranger!” Sam shouted. 

We rush off chasing the man through the woods, down the trail a bit more. “Ranger!” I shouted. 

“Ranger Evans! Ranger!” Sam shouted. Then we heard rustling in the tree above us. 

“It’s got him up in the trees.” All four of us pointed out guns. “Lights off.” I listened and turned it off. Focusing on the waves of hunger above me. I let my walls fall, focusing on the thing eating Rick. 

“What?” Dean asked. He lowered his rifle. 

“Wait, Bobby, you think that’s really a good idea?” Sam asked. 

“Shut up, shut off, and listen.” Bobby ordered. Sam lowed his rifle and turned off the light. After a few moments of hearing crunching, Bobby said, “Damn thing’s eating Rick.” 

“Man, I liked Rick.” Dean said. 

“Shut up.” I whispered. I closed my eyes and focused on the sounds and waves. I took a breath as I found the spot I knew the thing was in. I squeezed the trigger and fired. Bobby was maybe half a second later than me. We both aimed true as a humanoid creature fell to the ground in front of us. It was holding one of Rick’s arms. 

We all pointed our guns at the thing. Bobby and I both reloaded. Soon enough Dean said, “Wow. Nice shot.” 

“Seriously.” Sam said. They both wafted off a sense of being impressed. 

“We all got our gifts.” Bobby said. 

“Bobby, that thing's human, or at least it used to be.” I said as I closed my walls back up, unsettled just staring at it. “All it sends out though...it just sends out...hunger.” 

“What about the rest of Ranger Rick?” Dean asked. 

“Ranger called in his 10-20. His own will find him. We got crap to do.” Bobby said. 

…

We gathered up the creature and took it back to the old house we were staying in. Bobby and I stayed ahead and cleared off the table as the boys carried the thing In. They placed it on the table and took a step back. We all stared at it as Bobby said, “Built like a supermodel, but the thing was strong. That’s for damn sure. Carried a full-grown man up a tree in nothing flat.” 

“But, it only took one bullet to bring it down.” Sam remarked. 

“Not even a silver bullet, just a bullet-bullet.” Dean said. 

Without another word, the creature bolted upright and stood up on the table with a screech. All four of us hunters stood back and pulled out our pistols. I unloaded it into the damned thing. It fell back on it and we all sighed into relief. I lowed my gun as I muttered, “Holy shit.” 

Bobby ignored me as his wonder took the room. “First one’s must have just stunned it.” 

Dean moved closer to the body as we all put away our guns. “Alright, well, let’s check it’s hulk pants for some ID.” He pulled out a wallet from the creature and stares at it goo all over it. “Oh, that is...just gonna ruin the leather.” 

I furrowed my eyebrows at him. Sam took the wallet from him. Bobby just asked, “Are you feeling okay?” 

“Yeah I feel great.” Dean replied. I shook my head and moved towards Sam. 

He pulled out an ID card and read it outloud. “Gerald Browder, uh lived here in town, five foot nine, brown hair, and blue eyes…” he glanced at me and Dean, “two hundred and thirty five pounds.” 

“What?” I took Sam’s wrist for a moment and looked at the ID for myself. 

“Woah.” Dean said. We all stared at the bastard. He definitely didn’t look like he was two hundred and thirty five pounds. 

“Well, apparently, he’s lost a little pudge.” Bobby said. 

“Maybe it’s a-a Lap-band side effect.” Apparently he thought it was amusing as Dean laughed and we didn’t.

Bobby then took a random stick and poked it through one of the former man’s bullet wounds. He gathered whatever kind of gunk there was on the end of it and held it up. It was thick grey goo that made my stomach churn. 

“What the hell? I think we better have a look under Gerald’s hood.” 

Sam and Bobby proceeded to perform a backwoods autopsy on the thing. Bobby had a surgical field kit in his vehicle, and I found them a pair of rubber gloves each. They opened his chest up and were cutting and examining through it, while I sat on the sidelines completely disgusted but enthralled at figuring this thing out. 

“God!” Bobby said. “It’s organs are swimming in the stuff.” 

Dean came back into the room with two glasses and a bottle of whiskey. He poured into them as he said, “You guys getting hungry? I’m hungry.” 

Sam and Bobby stopped for a moment to stare at him. I raised my eyebrows at him, then took one of the glasses and took a long sip as I watched Sam and Bobby resume. “What’s that?” Sam asked. 

I stepped forward and looked over Sam’s shoulder. A mass was cut open in the cavity that was clearly engorged before. “His stomach. For a guy on a diet, Gerry here packed it in pretty good.” 

“That’s human right there.” Sam said. 

“That’s fresh Rick. Let’s see.” I finished the whiskey and grabbed the bottle off the mantle Dean had set it on, refilling it. “Plus...a pine cone?” I turned back to see all the things they were finding and throwing into a bucket. “Pack of gum in the wrapper.” 

“That’s-that’s older. Maybe like a-maybe Ranger Phil or the camper.” 

Then there was a large round mass. “What the hell is that?” I asked. 

“Looks like a-yeah, that’s a-that’s a cat’s head.” Sam informed us. Another sip of whiskey. 

“A glamper or two is one thing, but you gotta be damn hungry to eat a cat’s head.” 

“Mm-hmm.” 

“All I felt from it tonight, was pure hunger. It was nothing else.” I said as Bobby moved for something else. “The guy was starving.” 

“Well, look-it here, I'm no Doctor Oz, but…” he pulled out a large, black lump. “I think that’s his adrenal glands.” 

“Okay. And?” Sam asked. 

“Meant to be the size of hotel bar soap...and bright orange.” I cover my mouth and nose, the smell was starting to really get to me. Sam and Bobby weren’t doing that great either with it. Waves of disgust were coming from the two of them as well. 

“Oh. Alright...that might help explain the strength.” Sam said, “Um, but whatever this thing is, it’s not the Jersey Devil, but sure as hell ain’t Gerald Browder anymore.” 

“Okay guys, seriously.” Dean spoke up. “Is it time for dinner?” I shook my head as Sam gave him a nod. I walked away from the body downing the rest of my whiskey. We all exchanged a look from Dean’s behavior. 

…

We went back to the Biggersons for whatever reason. I sat next to Sam taking a look at his laptop. Bobby, Sam, and I were only having coffee, while Dean was chowing down on another TDK slammer thing. We were looking up Gerald. 

“Gerald Browder, thirty five, self employed. Air conditioning repairman.” He kept digging as I sipped on my coffee. “Missing person number three. Disappeared eight days ago.” 

“Explains all the people who got eaten in the last eight days.” I said. 

“Yeah. Question is, what happened to him?” Sam asked. Dean then groaned while eating his sandwich. 

“You need some alone time with that sandwich Dean?” I asked dryly, annoyed with his current state. 

He groaned again. “Dean. Uh, so, what do you think?” Sam tried to ask. 

With his mouth full, “I’m not that worried about it.” 

“Excuse me?” Bobby questioned. 

“That’s funny, right? I could give two shakes of a rat’s ass.” We all exchanged a look. “Is that right? Do rats shake their ass, or is it something else? Eh?” He said as he continued eating. 

His uncaring was deafening to me. This wasn’t exactly the Dean I knew and it was unsettling. But then I realized, the whole room was like that. And it wasn’t just coming from him. Various other patrons who were eating the sandwich were sending out the same kind of waves. Sam looked around too, probably getting the same idea.

“You okay?” Bobby asked me. 

“This is weird Bobby. The same vibes I’ve been getting from Dean all day, this place is filled with people like that _right_ now.” I told them. 

“Give me that.” Sam said. He then snatched the half eaten sandwich from Dean. 

“Woah, whoa! Why!?” Dean protested. 

“There’s some funky chicken in the TDK Slammer, ain’t there.” Bobby asked. 

“Yeah.” Sam and I got a whiff of the sandwich and both recoiled at it. 

We got the sandwich to go and ran back to the house. Sam found a random plate and set the tin foil swan on the table. He unwrapped it as Dean leaned against the sink and protested. “This is stupid. My sandwich didn’t do anything. I don’t know what you think you’re gonna find.” I rolled my eyes. He hadn’t been passionate about anything all day, and now he’s vaguely bitching over a sandwich?

“There’s something wrong with you, Dean.” Bobby explained. 

“Are you kidding? I’m fine! I-I actually feel great.” He then sat up on the counter. “The best I’ve felt in a couple months. Cas? Black goo? I don’t even care anymore, and you know what’s even better? I don’t care that I don’t care. I just want my damn slammer back.” 

“Oh hell.” I said annoyed. 

“Dude, you are completely stoned, just like Ranger Rick was.” Sam said back. 

“Just like the dinner rush back at Biggerson’s. And everybody is loving the Turducken.” Bobby told him. 

“I think you pissed off my sandwich.” Dean said, staring at the plate. 

We all looked down to see grey goo come out of the meat. “Oh god.” I said. 

“That-that’s in me?” Dean asked in horror. 

“O-only half of it.” Sam replied. 

“Does That snot look familiar?” Bobby asked. 

I scoffed, “that’s the same stuff that was in Gerald.” 

“Okay,” Sam started. “So whatever turned Gerald Browder into a pumpkin head...and is currently turning Dean into an idiot-“ 

“Currently?” I said dryly. 

“I’m right here. Right here.” I smirked a little at Dean’s response. 

“Is in the Turducken Slammer at Biggerson’s.” Bobby finished. 

“Yeah,” Sam said. 

“It’s in the meat.” 

“If I wasn’t so chilled out right now, I would puke.” Dean said. 

“Good to know. What do we want to do?” I asked. 

Bobby nodded, “surveillance.” 

…

  
  


We were hiding out in Bobby’s van watching the Biggerson’s. Though, Sam and Bobby were watching. I was sitting in the back, on the floor against the side of the van, with Deans head in my lap. He was snoring peacefully as I was trying to get some shut eye myself. I was in the middle of a light sleep when I heard Sam’s voice. “How’s he doing?” 

I felt Bobby look back at us and said, “He’s sleeping it off. Tryptophan coma.” I kept my eyes closed, trying to go back to sleep. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. 

“So, you think he’s okay?” Sam asked. Worry was wafting off him, a familiar feeling as I’ve gotten to know the Winchester. 

“Yeah, he’s alright.” 

“Good. So you don’t worry about him?” 

“What do you mean? Before the Turducken?” 

“Yeah. Yeah, I kind of mean more like, uh...more like ever since my head broke...and we lost Cas.” I raised my eyebrows a little at that. That was the second time I had heard that name. “I mean, you ever feel like he’s-he’s going through the same motions, but he’s not the same Dean, you know?” 

“How could he be?” 

“Right, yeah, but what if-“ 

“What if what, Sam? You know, you worry about him. All he does is worry about you. Who’s left to live their own life here? The two of you-aren’t you full up just playing _Snuffleupagus_ with the Devil all the live long?” _The hell is he talking about_? I thought to myself. 

“I don’t know, Bobby.” A wave of assurance came over. “Seeing Lucifer’s fine with me.” I was definitely awake now. 

“Come again?” 

“Look, I’m not saying it’s fun, I mean, to be honest with you, I-I kind of see it as the best-case scenario. I mean...at least all my crazy’s under one umbrella, you know? I kind of know what I’m dealing with. A lot of people got it worse.” 

After a pause and a wave of surprise, Bobby said, “You always were one deep little son of a bitch.” 

Sam chuckled at that. Then there was a pair of eyes on me. I felt a small bloom of comfort come from him. “So what’s with you and her?” 

“What are you talking about?” Sam asked. 

The older man chuckled, “you two.” 

“And?” A wave of embarrassment came from him. 

“All I’m saying boy...you do anything to hurt her I’ll kill ya? Got it?” 

“Wait, Wait, Wait. Here we go.” Sam reached over and tapped me on my shoulder. “Wake up, take a look.” 

I sucked in a breath, pretending that I just woke up. Doing my best not to wake Dean, I leaned over to just see a truck pulling in. It was plain, just saying ‘MIDWEST MEAT AND POULTRY WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTION’. They loaded the restaurant up and soon left. 

Bobby then said, “Well, I guess we follow him.” 

…

We followed him for a while. Eventually the truck pulled up to a warehouse and parked. Bobby parked the van nearby to watch the place. By the time we got there, Dean was awake and sipping coffee from a thermos. Sam was watching with a pair of black binoculars. He then said, “That’s weird, right? I mean, national franchise like Biggerson’s getting meat from a place that looks like it wholesales Hong Kong knockoffs.” 

I tapped Sam’s shoulder silently asking to take a look, to which he handed me them, as Dean said, “Okay. Yeah. It’s a little weird.” 

I watched the truck driver get out and entered the warehouse. I handed Sam back the binoculars as I said, “There’s probably a lab in there somewhere.” 

“Alright,” Sam said, “well, I guess we wait till they close up shop, go take a look around?” 

“Hang on.” Bobby said as a new car pulled up. A man with dark hair and eyes came out of it as I felt a surge of surprise and anger come from Sam. 

“No.” Sam said. 

“Who is that?” I asked. 

“Edgar.” 

“Leviathans.” Dean said with Anger coming out of him as well. I swallowed bile forming in my throat as I watched Edgar open the trunk of his car. The truck driver from earlier had returned to help him as Edgar pulled out a passenger from his trunk. 

“Is that Brandon?” I asked. Edgar took the hooded waiter by the arm and dragged him swiftly into the warehouse door. 

“Son of a bitch.” I heard from Dean next to me. 

“What the hell is going on?” Bobby said with shock. 

The entrance went quiet as we waited for someone, or something rather, to come out. Still, I was curious. “So what do you guys know about Leviathans?” 

“Mean sons of bitches I’ll tell you that.” Bobby mumbled. 

“I get that, I’ve met one, but...why are they surfacing now. I mean I’ve never heard of one until earlier this year. And I’ve been around the block a few times.” 

A little shame came from all three of them, which just confused me even more. Dean then started to explain, “they are old. Older than old. Old enough and dangerous enough for God to put them in his armpit.” 

I furrowed my eyebrows as I listened. “In God’s what?” 

Then Sam said, “about seven months ago, someone...a friend of ours opened a door to Purgatory.” My eyes grew wide at that. 

“Purgatory?” 

“Yeah, he...he did it trying to save his home, but…” 

Dean then said with a wave of grief, “he died because of it. And he accidentally let out the Leviathans. So now we’re cleaning up his mess.” 

A silence fell onto the car as I absorbed the grief, sadness, and frustration from all of them. “What was his name?” 

“What?” Dean asked, looking at me. 

“Your friend? The one you lost.” 

After a long pause, “Castiel.” 

“I’m sorry. It sounds complicated.” I said genuinely. 

Dean nodded, “Complicated with a side of crazy.” 

…

When daylight broke, and no one had come out, Sam and I got out of the van and walked around the perimeter looking for anything info we could get. Once we were at the back of the building we quickly realized there wasn’t much. Sam then called in Bobby. I stood near him with my hands in the back pockets of my jeans to listen in. “There’s nothing happening back here at all.” 

“Yeah, okay, Sam. Well, they’re pretty dug in, so why don’t you two finish circling and head on back?” 

“Right.” He hung up wing Bobby and we quietly started to get back. “Sorry about the hunt.” He said after a wave of realization. 

“What?” I asked. 

“The hunt. You didn’t exactly get to kill the Jersey Devil.” 

“Oh...no. It’s too bad, but it doesn’t really matter. But hunting a real thing with all of you isn’t so bad.” I said smiling. “Still, are you guys ever going to get around to telling me your backstory already?” 

He chuckled a little, though nervousness did roll off him. “At some point yeah.” 

Then I noticed him clutch his left hand, pressing into a scarring wound. “You okay?” 

“Uhh, yeah. Just...I’ve been through a lot. It’s a little much to tell someone you're just getting to know.” 

I nodded. “I get that. But, whenever you're ready...I’m here to listen.” He looked back at me with a smile and a spark of hope coming from him. Hell I think I had one too. We spent a few more minutes in silence on the walk back to Bobby’s van. 

“What about you?” He asked. 

“Me? Well...you know most of it.” 

He chuckled, “not really…” 

I thought about it for a moment. “I’ll tell you mine when you tell me yours.” 

We both laughed. “Deal.” Soon enough we were almost to the van. In our sights, however, were also a couple of black SUV’s coming up the road. We jogged up, staying clear of them, we got to the van, Sam opened up the door and let me go in first. He said as he closed it, “hey. Something’s up.” 

Bobby looked over with the binoculars. The vehicles stopped in front of the entrance we had been surveilling. He then said as a suited man came out of one of the cars, “Well, I’ll be a squirrel in a skirt. It’s Dick friggin Roman.” 

Dean asked, as I furrowed my own eyebrows at the name, “Who the hell is Dick frigging Roman?” 

Sam got his laptop out and googled the man. Soon we found a few clips and watched them to get a gear on the man. I also got my cellphone out to do some reading. I heard the tail end of the clip, Dick speaking, “Another great question. No, I am not running for political office at this time. But I do have a number-one bestseller.” He sounded like he lived on a high horse. 

“Holy crap. What the hell is that?” Dean asked. 

“That’s one of the top fifty most powerful men in America, Dean.” Sam told him.

“Actually, says here top 35 as of last month,” I interjected. 

“Now it’s all making sense.” Dean said, “Remember when Crowley kept going on about hating Dick? I thought he was just being general. Pfft!” 

“Well, if the Leviathan got to him, then that means they’re playing on a much bigger board than we were thinking.” Bobby said. 

“So what then?” Sam asked. “I mean, we can’t exactly outgun them.” 

“No, but we got the drop on them. Means we got a chance to figure out what these guys are really doing here.” Bobby then pulled out some surveillance equipment. 

“Is that a-“ I started to ask. 

“Whoa. Where’d you get that mother?” Curiosity and excitement was coming off of Dean in waves as he talked over me.

“It’s on loan from Frank’s big brother collection. It’ll pick up vocal vibrations from window glass at half a mile. It’s time to find out what these ugly bastards are up to.” 

“I’ll go with you.” I said as I grabbed a box. 

“Help me set up then come back here.” He said. 

“Bobby-“ 

“Don’t. I only got one pair of headphones, and I don’t need any onlookers. Besides, somebody has to keep an eye on these two Idgits.” We all smiled a little at that. 

…

We managed to climb on a roof next door okay. I was helping Bobby put together the machine when Bobby asked, “So why all the sudden are you hunting with the Winchester’s?” 

I smiled softly, feeling the waves of protectiveness come from him, “I like working with them. We actually make a Pretty good team.” 

“So Sam wouldn’t have anything to do with that?”

I was startled by the sudden question and accidentally pinched my finger between the dish and the thingy that connected it. “Crap!” I muttered when I pulled my hand back. “What?” 

“I may be old but I’m not blind sweetheart.” I rolled my eyes. But I was a little happy to hear the familiar nickname. 

“It’s nothing old man.” I said as I finished. Reminding him of his nickname. 

I stood upright just in time to see him sit down and put on his headphones. “Just promise me something?” 

“What?” 

“Two things actually. One, don’t get too deep in their crap. I love those boys, but they are always involved in the big stuff.” 

“Bobby I can take care of myself.” 

“I know. But those two...they are a whole bag of cats complicated.” I chuckled a little as I placed my hands in my back pockets. “And two...be careful out there.” 

I placed a hand on his shoulder and moved his blue ball cap. I gave him a kiss on his forehead and smiled. “You got it old man. As long as you are too.” 

We both gave small smiles and I left the roof. I got down easily and made it to the van without much issue. We spent an hour there waiting for something on our end. Unfortunately, we got nothing. Dean soon enough called Bobby for an update. “Our side’s still dead, Bobby. Anything with you?” 

Bobby was on speaker, “Yeah, same here. I got...hold on, yeah, I got movement...my side, second floor, meeting room.” He had put the phone in with his headphones so we could listen in. The conversation was between Roman and another guy, something about canceling a program and making an example out of him, from what I could hear through the phone. But after aN ominous pause, we all started to get worried. 

“What’s happening now?” Dean asked. 

“Wait.” Bobby said. After a few moments, “Now I have officially seen it all.” 

I furrowed my eyebrows. “Bobby, What is it?” Sam asked. 

“He’s making the doctor eat himself.” My eyes grew wide. 

“What?” Dean asked. 

“He’s-“ the phone went dead. 

“Bobby?” I nearly shrieked as panic set in. 

…

I guided Sam and Dean to the spot on the roof where I had left Bobby. All that was left was his broken surveillance equipment. “They got him.” Dean said. 

“I shouldn’t have left him.” I said thinking that this was all my fault. 

Concern and worry were the only things I felt from the boys. A hand grasped my shoulder. “Hey. It’s not your fault.” Sam said. Then we looked up at the building. “Dean, there are at least four Leviathans out there. We don’t even know how to kill one.” 

A van then pulled up in front of the building labeled ACME INDUSTRIAL CLEANING. “Well, it’ll be quite the shock when we walk in through the front door, won’t it?” 

We got off the roof and managed to break into the cleaning truck. We found some sprayers with borax in them and ran back to the van. As we got our pistols, I asked, “are you sure this is a good idea? We don't exactly have the numbers Dean.” 

“It’s Bobby. We have to try.” Dean said. 

I took a breath and nodded. Before I really even knew it, we sprayed down the first leviathans we came across. We went from room to room, looking and scanning for any sign of Bobby. We were about to head to the offices when Dick Roman came out of it. 

Sam pushed me behind a stack of pallets when we turned a corner. The Levi approached him as he emptied his sprayer. I was unseen by Roman, and he started speaking, backing Sam to a wall. “Sam..That is not how we communicate from a place of yes. That was bracing. Where’d you kids find this stuff?” 

Two shots went off and strait into Dick’s back. “Hey! That’s mine.” He said before Dean and I threw more borax on him. We found Bobby with a gun in his hand. 

“Go! Go!” Dean said. 

“Would you stop it with that stuff,” the thing said. Sam grabbed my arm as we ran out of the building, assuming Bobby wasn’t far behind. I didn’t see the bodyguard blocking Bobby’s path. 

We got to the Van just to realize Bobby wasn’t with us. Assuming he wasn’t far behind, we drove to the entrance we had just exited and waited for him. 

“Dammit, where’s Bobby?” Sam asked from the passenger Seat. Worry was all over the both of them as my own heart pounded. 

“There he is!” I said as I opened the door. 

“Bobby! Come on! Come on! Come on!” 

Bobby jumped in as he pushed me more towards the back, yelling “Go! Go!” As he closed the door. 

I scrambled in the dark of the back as the van lurched and I heard gunshots. 

As we drove away safely, Dean said, “Son of a bitch! I’m glad you got in. He almost took your freaking head off.” 

No response from Bobby. I finally got enough light to see the man laying on the floor. “Oh my god!” I said as I rushed to him. “Bobby!” 

“Bobby?!” Sam said. “Oh, god. Bobby?” Sam climbed back with me as I put my hands on Bobby’s face. 

“Bobby!?” Dean shouted as he sped the car up. 


	6. Death’s Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The unimaginable happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This episode is a rough one.-Indigo

_ “Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.” _ -J.R.R. Tolkien 

  
  
  


We got Bobby to sit up as Sam took a look at him. “Bobby? Bobby? Hey, hey, hey, hey. Hold on.” 

I found a clean rag and placed it gently on the wound. “Sam, is he dead?” Dean asked. 

“I’m checking.” Sam said as he felt Bobby’s neck for a pulse. 

“Is he dead!?” 

“Just drive, Dean!” I shouted at him. “Bobby?” I then said in a whisper. 

“You gotta talk to me, Sam!” Dean said. 

“Alright, he’s breathing. There’s a pulse.” Sam told us. 

I kept trying to breath as Sam pulled him closer to keep Bobby up. Dean then starts a phone call, “Keep him upright. Stop the bleeding.” 

“I’m not an idiot, Dean! I know first aid for a friggin’ bullet to the head!” I pressed a hand to Sam’s shoulder. 

“This is not the time to fight.” Then I looked at Bobby. “Hang in there old man, please.” My voice cracked at that last word. 

“What’s the address?!” Dean threw down the phone. “Alright Bobby, hang in there!” The van skidded as we made a sudden turn. 

…

I barely remember getting to the hospital. Sam and Dean slung Bobby’s arms over their shoulders and got him to the doors. I followed close behind. Nurses and orderly’s got him on a gurney and rushed him to another room with glass doors. 

“Page the neurosurgeon on call. Tell OR to put electives on hold.” A doctor said as the rolled him in. 

A nurse began filling the team in as they worked on Bobby. Cutting open his shirt and assessing the wound. A doctor soon said, “Let’s get s central line in here now.” 

I stood next to Sam as he tried to ask a nurse, “What’s happening? Please just tell us-“ 

“Get them out of here.” The doctor said as he listened to Bobby’s heart. 

“Sorry, you need to stay out of their way.” The nurse said. 

Dean protested. “That’s our uncle.” 

“You got to stay back.” 

“What are they doing?” Sam asked, panicked. 

“We need to get him stable.” 

“Okay, when are you gonna take the bullet out?” Dean asked. 

“If we can get the swelling down, if it’s in a place we can get to, if-“ 

“If he even lives that long.” Sam said grimly.

I just stared at Bobby, at least until the nurse went back in and closed a curtain. We waited for a few minutes just watching the shadows of the workers. Soon enough, Bobby started to crash. They put on more lights and started barking orders. After one shock, they got his pressure back up again, appearing to stabilize him. 

I couldn’t breathe a sigh a relief until his doctor came out of the curtain. Sam was standing next to the wall while Dean just paced. Both walked up when the doctor approached me. I hadn’t left the spot I was standing in. “He’s, uh, stable for the moment. Just have to see.” 

As he walked away, all of my mental barriers fell. Every bit of grief, anger, panic, and fear that I had on top of the boys came crashing on to me like a freaking tsunami. The floor underneath me swayed as I grasped Dean and Sam’s arms for support. They both looked at me with even more panic. “I’m gonna be-“ 

I clasped a hand over my mouth as I rushed to the nearest trash can. I vomited what little contents I had in my stomach. I finally caught my breath as I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders. “Are you okay?” Sam asked. 

Still my legs threatened to collapse underneath me. “I need to sit.”

Dean was nearby as he asked for a chair from one of the nurses and sat me down not far from Bobby’s room. I was given a once over by one of the nurses, who gave me some water. 

I sat with my head in my hands as Dean and Sam watched over Bobby and Me. 

…

Later in the night, as the place had settled down, Dean came back with three coffees. “Two blacks, and one with extra cream.” 

Dean handed me mine (the extra cream). “Any update?” I asked. 

He shook his head. I looked over at Bobby. Worry was all I could feel between the two hunters. Thankfully it wasn’t too much to handle. “I can’t believe this happened.” 

“It’s not your fault.” Sam said. 

“It’s Dick Roman’s.” Dean muttered. A silence filled the room again. Dean’s anger was in clear waves, while Sam was...well he wasn’t feeling that anger just yet. Just great fear and sadness. 

“I didn’t even want to go on that damn trip.” Sam looked down at me after I said the words. 

“Hhm?” 

“The one where I got the bear...for weeks my dad planned it. I was about to turn eighteen. Said it was a...” I chuckled, “a family tradition. Right of passage. I just didn’t want to spend days out in the woods. Then one day, Bobby came for dinner, heard we were going at the end of summer, and he offered to go with us.” I chuckled a little. “He was more excited than I was. The whole trip up, we listened to old classic folk, telling me every hunter story he had.” I twisted the family ring I had on my right finger, something my mom gave me a long time ago, thinking about all of them. 

“Eventually we tracked a brown bear. He was hanging around in a field. All three us hunkered down under a bush. Bobby guided me every step. Calmed me down when I got nervous. He said, ‘trust yourself.’” I smiled at the memory. “Got it in one go. And after we came back, I really started getting into hunting. If it weren’t for that trip, I wouldn’t be hunting. Hell I don’t know what I would be doing if I hadn’t.” 

Sam smiled gently at me. “Your dad was really proud of you after that right?” 

“Yeah.” I stared up at the man in the bed. “So was Bobby.” 

…

The next morning, we had gotten more news from the doctor, though was more disheartening. “So, there’s nothing else we can do?” Sam asked. 

“I’m sorry. We just have to wait. We’ll see if the swelling goes down.” 

I looked up at Sam who was crossing his arms. He looked ready to start shedding some tears. “How long?” Dean asked. 

“It’s hard to say in cases like this.” 

“Well, he’s lasted this long. That’s something, right?” He asked with a little hope coming off of him. 

“Yes. Listen...the bullet didn’t shatter. Only one hemisphere of his brain was injured. These are all positive things. But...I don’t want to give you false hope here. He’s far from out of the woods. Most of the time, cases like this…” the doctor trailed off. 

Sam finished for him. “They die.” I closed my eyes as I felt a few more tears fall down my cheeks. 

“Right now it comes to him. I’ll keep you updated.” The doctor walked away. All of Sam’s hope had gone just grief was coming off of him. Dean still only had shock come off him with the tiniest glimmer of hope. 

I didn’t know what to think. I took a breath as I tried to understand all that was in front of me.  _ Bobby is dying _ . I thought as a few more tears came down my face. I rubbed them away as I heard a voice behind us. “Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt. Is one of you Robert Singer’s next of kin?” 

Dean went with him as Sam and I went back to sit by the window in front of Bobby’s room. “Are you okay?” I asked Sam. 

His grief was starting to get overwhelming again for me, but I kept focus. “Not really.” He just stared at the floor. 

I wasn’t sure what to say. Words were just...words couldn’t do anything. So...I gently took his hand. He tensed a little at the sudden touch, but relaxed soon after. It was calloused in certain spots, as mine were, from the work we did, but still soft in some areas. As we stood there in the quiet, I let a few more tears fall and leaned my head against his shoulder. 

Sam let a few fall himself as he squeezed my hand. I squeeze back, silently letting him know that I wasn’t going anywhere. “What if…” he started after a few minuets. “What if I told you that I think he’s not gonna make it?” He asked in a quiet voice. 

A Few more tears fell onto my cheek. “I would tell you that I’m starting to think that too. I think that…” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I think that he’s dying. And don’t know what we’re gonna do if it does happen.” Silence fell back between us. 

After getting another update, Sam and I were lingering in the hall, in the quiet.  Eventually Dean returned with a cup of coffee. “What did that guy want?” Sam asked when Dean returned. 

“Uh, nothing. Just some insurance mook.” He was lying. But I didn’t want to call him out, still there was a new wave of anger. “Dick Roman was out there.” 

My eyes grew wide as I said, “What? What happened?” 

“Nothing...for now. It was just a friggin’ staring contest.” Another lie. “That was about it. What’s the update?” 

“The swellings down a little. They took him off sedation.” I told him. 

“Apparently, he-he started fighting his tube, so they pulled them out, and he’s breathing on his own.” Sam finished.

A wave of hope came from Dean. “That’s good, right? Is that good?” 

“Yeah. Well, Doctor said ‘best-case scenario.’” Sam told him though he was still wary of the news. 

“Alright, so when they gonna take the bullet out?” 

I looked down at the floor. Sam said after a beat. “Dean, t-they’re not even-they’re not even gonna try that, not yet.” 

Confusion washed over him. “What does that mean?” 

“The word's ‘abrading,’ I think.” 

“English.” Dean said with a little panic. 

“Cutting out the dead brain tissue.” I said finally. 

A man and a woman then came near us, ignoring us for a conversation of their own. Argument by judging the annoyance and frustration coming from the two of them. Sam continued. “That’s if the Doctor even thinks it’s worth the risk.”

I rolled my eyes as they continued. “Can we talk to you?” I asked him. We walked down the hall towards a spot with some plastic chairs. It was a little  more private. 

“What? Talk about what?” Dean asked. 

“You know what.” Sam said. 

“No, we’re not gonna have that conversation.” Dean said, his anger returning. 

“Well, we need to.” I said. 

“First of all, He’s not gonna die.” He said with even more anger. “Second of all, why are you even part of this?” 

“Because he was my family too, Dean.” Calling him out on his shit, “And don’t you  _ dare _ say otherwise. Bobby’s  _ dying _ Dean.” I said breathlessly and more tears streamed down my face. 

“He’s not gonna die.” Dean repeated. 

“He might.” Sam said. 

“Sam.” 

“Dean, listen-we need to brace ourselves.” 

“Why?” 

“Because it’s real.” 

“What do you want to do? You want to hug and-and say we made it through it when Dad died? We’ve been through  _ enough _ .” He walked away, giving a pause before walking through the glass door out. Guilt was all I could feel from him. 

Sam sat down and grasped his injured hand. “Sam...he’s in denial, you can’t blame him or yourself for this.” 

I sat down in the chair next to him and rubbed his shoulder. “I know.” He said. 

_ Yeah...maybe you all should blame me _ . I thought as I wiped a few tears away from my face. “He’ll come around, Sam. One way or another.” An hour or so later, Sam decided to go take a walk, so I stayed with Bobby. 

I walked towards him in the room. The nurse was checking on his vitals. He looked small. Weak. Nothing the man ever really was. I grasped his hand as I focused on him. “You okay miss?” The nurse asked. 

I nodded. “I’m just so worried about him. This shouldn’t have happened. I should’ve done something.” 

“It’s not your fault.” She said, assuredness coming off of her. “It’s no one's fault. Sometimes senseless tragedies happen.” She walked away. 

I stared at him. I could feel his determination, his hope, his love come from him. But it was fading slowly.  _ He’s losing the fight _ . “God Bobby,” I said as new tears came from my eyes. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve stayed with you. I’m so sorry old man.” I watched his face as he just remained quiet and unconscious. “I guess I just need to say, I love you, you stubborn old man.” I laughed. “And I promise, I’ll make sure Sam and Dean get through this. I promise.” I stayed with him for a while. I didn’t even notice that Sam and Dean had returned. After a few minutes of just feeling the waves that came from him, a sense that I desperately didn’t want to let go of, I went back to the boys. 

We all stayed quiet. Just waiting where this all went, uncertainty, anger, and grief was all I could feel near them. Eventually, however, two of Bobby’s nurses came by again. “Keep the head of the bed up for transport. IV can run off the pump. Just run a TKVO. We’ll have to wait for respiratory.” 

“Wait, Wait, Wait, wait. What’s happening?” Sam asked. 

“He’s showing signs of responsiveness, We’re taking him up for surgery. If you want to see him, I’d squeeze in there quick.” We followed her, hope was returning to the room. We stood next to the bed unsure of what to say. 

“Sorry. We need to get moving.” The nurse said at the door. 

I nodded. Sam just said “Right, yeah,” he looked down at him. “Hey um...Bobby, um hey…” Sam took his hand, “just...thanks...for everything.” 

Sam let go as we were about to leave. “Alright, please step back.” The nurse asked. 

“Yeah.” Dean said. Then Bobby raised his hand. 

“Bobby?” I said, not believe it when he opened his eyes. 

“Wait, stop. His eyes are open.” Sam said. 

“Bobby?” Dean asked. 

“Hey.” Sam said as he put his hand on Bobby’s shoulder. Bobby then moved the oxygen mask off his face. Sam took his hand again as he tried to speak. 

“What-dont talk.” He said, “don’t talk. A pen-I-“ I found a sharpie on Bobby’s chart and handed it to him. “Here. Here.” Bobby is given the pen who proceeds to write a few numbers on Sam’s palm, “what is it?” 

We all leaned closer as he said in a breathy, tired voice, “Idjits.” He smiled at us as I felt a full wave of love and joy come from him. I smiled back at it, but it wasn’t for long. His eyes close again and his head falls back. The monitor starts to beep. 

I drowned everything else out I stared at the man. That familiar love and warmth faded to nothing as his heart stopped. We were dragged out as they called a code. They tried to restart his heart. They were doing everything. But...it was all for nothing. He was just...gone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter one due to not a lot of action on the Winchester’s side of the episode, but will be posting the next one tomorrow!


	7. Adventures in Babysitting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grieving Bobby and handed a new mission. Destroy Dick Roman. But the call of a young girl seems to bring us together.

_ “It hurts every day, the absence of someone who was once there.” _ -Marie Lu

  
  
  


Week one 

  
  


Gone. He was gone. I couldn’t understand it really at first. None of us. Somehow we managed to get our shit together enough to burn Bobby’s body and get back to the abandoned house where we had left all of our things. 

I hadn’t spoken much since Bobby had died. I was still graphing with the fact that he was gone. I packed my stuff up in my truck and tried to figure out what to do next. That, and I was nursing a massive headache from the mental exhaustion. I leaned my elbows against the hood of my truck as I rested my face in my hands.

“You coming with us or what?” I heard Dean ask behind me. 

“Yeah, just uh...I don’t think I’m in any shape for a long drive.” I said with a grimace. 

“What’s wrong?” Sam asked. 

“Headache.” I said. I barely felt the waves of concern and decisiveness from them as they had a silent exchange behind me.

“Alright, give me your keys. I’ll drive.” Sam said. 

I silently gave him my keys and I climbed into the passenger seat. Soon enough we were following Dean in his car. I fell asleep to the lull of the road. 

After about four hours of driving, we made it to a cabin. They mentioned before it was their friend Rufus’s, Bobby’s old hunting partner. We silently unloaded and settled in. I sat on the couch cross legged absorbing it all. Dean sat next to me in the couch while Sam sat in the chair. We sat in silence, occasionally giving glances, until it got dark. 

  
  


Week Two 

  
  


The boys and I fell into a routine. The boys let me have the single bed in the small bedroom of the place while Dean and Sam took the other bed and the couch. Somebody would wake up between six and eight in the morning, normally Sam or me, and would put together breakfast. Then we would spend the day pouring over the numbers the Bobby spent is last breath on. We started with the basics. Passwords, email, zip code, bank numbers. Anything, and it came back to nothing, 

Dean had given the numbers to a friend of theirs to try and crack them, and he still hadn’t brought anything back. I began going through some of Bobby’s hunting journals seeing if I could find the numbers there, though I began reminiscing old memories I had found in them. Along with his findings and hunts, I would find notes about his day to day. Talking about all the hunters that he worried about, including me and the Winchester brothers. I smiled fondly when I found one where he called them Idjits. 

Silence became the norm in the cabin as we all struggled and wrestled with Bobby’s death. Sharing only a few words if absolutely needed. 

  
  


Week Three 

  
  


I was sitting on the front porch with my hunters journal. I was writing about the Leviathan’s and Bobby. Journaling for me was a way I was able to process grief, something Bobby actually taught me. “You okay?” I heard Sam asked. 

I looked up with my eyes furrowed, then I realized I had been crying. I wiped the tears away as I said, “yeah. Yeah. Just writing is all.” I closed the journal. “What’s up?” 

Sam took a seat next to me on the bench. “Uh...I just...it’s nothing.”

“You can tell me. What’s eating at you?” 

“I’m worried about Dean.”  _ Clearly _ , it was wafting off him as he spoke. As well as that grief, though it wasn’t as strong as it had been when we were at the hospital. 

I nodded. “Me too. He started a murder board for Dick friggin Roman.” 

“Yeah.” 

“Has he gotten like this before at all? You know...a tad-“ 

“Obsessive. Yeah, guess it’s our default.” He chuckled a little. 

“What do you mean?” I asked. 

He took a moment, staring at the wilderness in front of us. “When uh...our mom died, that’s how my Dad got us into the  _ life _ ;  _ hellbent _ on getting revenge.” 

“What happened?” He didn’t look at me, but his emotions didn’t change. He was sure he wanted to tell me whatever he had to say. 

“She was killed by a demon. My dad spent the rest of his life looking for the thing. Eventually it killed him too. So when uh...he died, Dean and I...we didn’t stop until we did find it. And killed it. But it wasn’t the last of our problems. We didn’t have revenge to get, but...now. I think he’s not going to stop until Dick Roman is dead.” 

I nodded. I waited a few beats to soak in the information. Though when I felt a wave of insecurity come from him, I said, “you and your brother have clearly been through so much. I only know a little bit, but...I understand. And believe me, I want Roman’s head on a spike as much as he does. But...we need to take this one day at a time. Okay?” 

Sam nodded in agreement and we spent a while longer just sitting on that bench. 

…

A few days later, I was sitting on the couch as Dean worked on his murder board. He had plenty of printouts of reports and articles about Roman. He was working on it as Sam came in with two duffle bags, he placed them in the table and took a beer out of the fridge. 

“Dean, you know, um…” he opened the bottle and said, “I wonder if we-if we...I mean, should we be telling people? I mean, people he knew.” 

Dean’s focus was on the board. “How long ago did I give Frank these numbers? It’s been a few weeks, right? What, is he nuts, or is he just being rude.” Frustration came from both of them, though for completely different reasons.   


“Probably both. Dean, I-I got to ask you a question.” 

“Unless of course, something happened to him. He can’t get to the phone because a Leviathan ate his face.” 

“Yeah, also a possibility.” Sam looked at me, to which I tried to look as supportive as possible. 

“We should go check on him.” 

“Dean, do you want to call Bobby’s people or not?” Sam asked, raising his voice to get Dean’s attention.

Dean turned to him.  “Why is-why is that our job?” 

“Because who else is going to do it?” I asked annoyed at his response. 

“I’m not calling anybody, if you want to, you go right ahead.” Dean said as he turned back to the board. 

I huffed as I tried to go back to reading. Sam just said, “I don’t want to call anybody. You kidding me?” A cell phone starts to ring. Registering it, I realized it came from one of the duffle bags Sam had brought in. It was one of Bobby’s phones. 

“Well, I’m not getting it.” I gave Dean a look. I stood up and finished my beer. I tossed it in the trash as Sam took the call. 

“Hello?” After a beat, Sam answered her, “Uh no. He’s uh..,I-it’s not, but I’m a friend of his.” I unzipped one of the duffles finding only more books of Bobby’s. I watched as Dean found an old, leather wrapped flask. “He’s...not here, but look, if you need s-“ Whoever it was on the other side hung up. 

“Who was it?” Dean asked. 

A wave of concern came from Sam. “Just some kid.” 

“For Bobby? Girl Scout cookies.” 

“I think maybe...maybe a hunter’s kid?” Dean picked up his beer. “I mean, she sounded pretty scared. You know, I have a caller ID. Maybe we should go find her. We-we can check on her.” 

“What about Frank?” I gave Dean another impatient look. 

“Well, Dean I think we should go find this girl first.” 

A wave of urgency came from Dean, “Sam, Frank’s been working on the numbers that Bobby spent his last breath on, and you want to back-burner that?” Sam gave him a look, clearly pleading with him. A wave of urgency came from him as well. “Fine. You go check out Girl Scout. I’ll find Frank.” 

“Fine. But you know what? On one condition- if Frank is just spinning his wheels, then you bail out on crazy and come meet us.” Sam told him.

Dean then looked down at his beer. I furrowed my eyebrows at the empty bottle. “And thanks to whichever of you for drinking my entire beer.” The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. 

“I didn’t touch your beer. Mines right there.” Sam pointed towards the one on the table. “You probably drank it without noticing.” 

“Right.” 

I let my walls fall. The ones that kept me from sensing any spirits. Something didn’t sit right with me on the beer. Trying to sense anything other than the boys. Still, there wasn’t really anything. I shook my head and out those walls back up. 

…

I decided to go with Sam, not wishing to tolerate Dean’s obsession. We drove about an hour to find the girl called from a Furnished Apartment building. We went inside and found the the place. Sam knocked and waited. Then a shadow moved behind the peephole of the door, “Hello? Um, we...spoke on the phone earlier?” I could sense waves of worry through the door. 

The door opened with the chain lock to reveal a girl, probably thirteen or fourteen years old. “Hi.” I introduced the two of us. 

“You sounded like you needed help, and we were in the area.” Sam said. 

“How’d you find me?” There was an air of determination and caution in her worry now.

“You dad is in Bobby’s address book.” 

“So where is he?” 

“Bobby?” I asked. She slightly nodded. “He, uh...he’s passed away. Look, um-“ 

“Krissy.” 

“Krissy. I get it. You don’t let strangers in. But if your dad said you could trust Bobby, then you can trust us too.” I said to her. 

She shut the door to undo the chain. “Just so you know, 911’s on speed-dial. One button.” She warned with the cell phone in her hand.

“Yeah, sure. Note taken.” Sam said. Krissy let us in and we found a simple apartment. There didn’t seem to be much there hunting wise. 

Then Krissy asked, “So...you’re salespeople, too?” 

With the question, I started to suspect that Krissy didn’t know if she knew what her father really did. “Yeah.” I said. 

Sam followed my lead with that. “Yep. So your dad’s on the road right now? Been gone a while?” 

“He usually calls every night.” 

“How long has it been since you last talked to him?” I asked. 

“Five days.” 

I glanced up at Sam. He had a wave of worry too. “It’s just you and him, huh? I know how that is. Look, um...Sometimes on the road, crap happens. So we’ll help you track him down.” I agreed with a silent nod. 

“Really?” She asked. 

I smiled gently. “Of course.” 

“Did he happen to say where he was going?” Sam asked. 

“Said he had a couple of leads near Dodge City.” 

“And does he have a desk or something where he keeps his stuff?” 

“It could help us find him.” I added to his question. She took us into one of the bedrooms in the apartment. It was bare for the most part, but with a desk. 

Sam then asked, “Do you mind making some coffee?” She smiled a little and went off. “Thanks.” 

We started looking through his things, then I remembered a trick Bobby taught me. I looked inside the closet, which was filled with flannels, and moved them past. On the back wall was a whole hunter’s murder board. “Sam.” I stepped aside a little and let him look inside. 

There were missing person notices and a few articles. One in particular said, ‘Trucker Missing, Rig Found in Ditch.’ I found a post-it pad on the desk and wrote a few notes down, including the spot where Krissy’s dad had a lead. We closed it back and Sam took a picture frame off the desk. 

We went to the kitchen. “Krissy.” Sam started. “Hey, listen, so I think I got an idea where to start. So I’m gonna go. Um...can we borrow this?” He held up a framed picture of her and her dad. 

She looked at it with a wave of possessiveness. It was small, but she said, “Yeah. 

“Thanks.” 

I pulled out a piece of paper from my pocket and wrote down a number. “Here. Here’s a number in case you don’t hear from us in the next couple days.” 

“Don’t worry. Promise we’ll check in.” Sam finished and I gave her the paper. 

She took a look at it and said, “Don’t say that. That’s what my dad said. 

…

  
  


We drove out the area where Krissy’s dad tracked down. We checked into a motel, and I was getting ready. I was throwing on my fed outfit on as I shouted through the door, “Any word from Dean?” 

“No. He’s been quiet.” There was a small wave of worry about that. 

“So what’s this Frank character like?” I asked, trying to distract him from his brother a little. I finished putting on my blazer and was putting my hair up in a ponytail. 

“Paranoid conspiracy theorist type.” 

“Of course he is.” I was finished and said, “coming out.” 

I opened the door and Sam was in his fed suit. I was still barefoot as I grabbed my heeled booties. I zipped them on as Sam said, “he’s not that bad just…” 

“Just a little on the crazy side?” I asked. 

He laughed a little, “yeah.” 

We left the motel and headed straight for the morgue. It didn’t take much teeth yanking this time to see the body, thankfully. The attendant opened up the steel box and showed us a body of a murdered trucker. “Matthew Havkena...found in a ditch off the interstate.” 

“Cause of death?” Sam asked. Concern from him contrasted well with the curiosity that came from the attendant. 

“Missing five pints of blood can’t have helped. Puncture wounds-femoral arteries and carotid.” Wounds were in both his thighs and neck.

“So what? Some kind of animal attack?” I asked. 

“Or a vampire.” We both looked at him seriously, expecting some kind of sign that he was a hunter or something. Sam had a small wave of panic come from him. We were both thinking that it was a possibility. “Huh, that… usually gets at least a chuckle.” We left the place with more questions than answers, but thankfully Dean had called. 

He was on speaker as we walked back to the car. “Find Frank?” Sam asked. 

“Yeah, those numbers?” Deans said, “Coordinates. Dick bought some land. We’re headed there now.” 

I raised my eyebrows as Sam said with a wave of panic, “Wait, Wait, Wait. You’re just gonna drive right up to-“ 

“Relax. It’s a field, not the Death Star.” Both of our shoulders relaxed. “Dick’s at a TED conference. It’s all over the Huffington Post.” 

“Wait a minute. Since, when do you read?” I asked playfully. 

“Know your enemy, guys. What’s going on with the girl?” 

“We don’t think she even knows her dad’s in the life. So far, we’ve got three missing truckers and one blood-free body.” 

“Good times. Alright, well, keep me posted.” 

“So what are you thinking? Vampire?” I asked him after Dean hung up. 

“No, there would be more bodies.” 

“Okay. Well..I’m starving. Wanna get some food and head back to the motel for research?” 

He smiled, “sure.” 

…

We found a Chinese place not that far from the motel and picked up a meal. We got back, got changed into some regular clothes, and started eating. Sam was looking through an old journal that I had never really noticed before, “What’s that?” I said from my open book. 

He smirked a little, with a small wave of pride coming off him. “My dad’s hunting journal.” 

“What was your dad like?” I asked as I marked the page and set it down. 

He had a few waves of sadness and anger, old but there. Obviously had mixed feelings over the man. “He was uh...a hard ass. We didn’t agree a lot, but...he was a good man. Saved a lot of people. Taught Dean and I hell of a lot.” 

“I was like that with my mom.” I said openly. “Use to fight all the time. When I turned eighteen, I didn’t want to go to college. I just…I didn’t want that. I wanted to hunt. Of course, I had a fairly  _ normal _ upbringing.” 

He chuckled a little. “I was the opposite. I got a full ride to Stanford, so...I left hunting. I was set to become a lawyer.” 

“Really?” I smiled completely surprised. “Stanford?” 

“Yeah.” 

“So...why  aren’t you a lawyer?” I asked gently. A wave of grief came over him. Not the same kind as I had felt when we talked about Bobby. This was an older grief. 

“My brother showed up saying our Dad was missing. We were trying to track him down but found a Lady in White instead.” 

“A Lady in White?...I’ve been doing this for ten years and I haven’t even found one. What happened?” 

“Well, she was hitchhiking on this stretch of road in Jericho, California. At some point, when I was going down the road, she attacked me. She dragged to the outside of her house. She was attacking men who were unfaithful.” 

“Were you?  _ Unfaithful _ , I mean.” 

“No… was in a relationship, but no, never...anyway. I got her trapped in the Impala, so I crashed it into the old house.” 

“No!” I laughed a little, “Dean must’ve been pissed.” 

“We were a little busy being attacked by the lady in white. Turns out, she accidentally killed her two kids .”

“The kids were in the house.” 

“Basically they canceled each other out.” 

I chuckled. “That’s wild.” 

“Right?” 

Then I stared at him for a moment. “Who did you lose during that?” 

“What?” 

“When you were talking about it...there was this  _ old _ grief. The kind where you have gone through grieving and healing, but it still hurts…” 

Surprise came over him. “I forgot about you.” 

“Like I said, I can’t turn it off. But  _ seriously _ . Who did you lose?” 

He smiled sadly. “Her name was Jessica.” A bloom of sadness wafted over. 

“You loved her.” 

He nodded. “Yeah. Wanted to marry her.” 

I smiled at that. “What was she like?” He pulled out his wallet and got out a picture. In it, he was younger with floppier hair sitting next to a young blonde woman who had a sweet smile. I smiled at it. “She was beautiful.” 

“She was understanding. Smart. And such a  kind person. Deserved better.” I handed the picture back to him.

“What happened?” I said before I could stop it. “You don’t have to answer that, I’m sorry.” I said. 

“No...it’s okay. She uhh...she was killed.” More grief came from him. “By the same Demon that killed my mom.” 

“I’m sorry…” I looked out the window. “About eight years ago...my parents and I were hunting together. I was getting good too. We made a really good team.” I said with a smile. “Then uhh...we found a vamp nest. Thought we got 'em all, but...we didn’t notice when one got away, and he uh...he found our car and ripped out the brakes on his way out.”

I looked down, I took a breath. “I narrowly survived the crash...they didn’t. After that...Bobby took me in. Made sure I was eating and sleeping. I wasn’t  _ okay _ for a while. After that, I was  hellbent on finding the vampire that took them from me. I left Bobby’s and went on my own. I was  _ okay _ , but...when you have that kind of grief and you’re alone. Revenge can get the best of you.” 

He nodded. “I understand that.” 

“I found him. Hiding out in New Orleans.” He laughed at that. Every hunter who was worth their salt knew that the place was a lost cause. “I killed him. Of course, getting revenge didn’t do much. Then I met Jackson.” I smiled. I had my own journal on the table, which in a small pocket I kept one of my most precious pictures. I pulled it out and I handed it to Sam.  _ My Jackson _ . He had blonde hair and brown eyes, and a smile that could light the world up. “I was with him, for almost two years. First love, you know. He was rough around the edges, kind of like Dean, but very sweet. Cared about his job. He cared about me. He was one of the first people I trusted enough to show my abilities outside of family. Hunted for a while together. He uh…” I smiled even more at the memory, “he called me his  angel .” 

He smiled at that. “Hence the Tattoo.” 

I nodded. “Hence the tattoo.” He handed me back the picture. 

“What happened to him?” He asked. I stared at the picture for a moment, thinking back to  _ that _ night. 

“Dead. We uh...caught a demon case. My first,  his second. Uhh...we caught it and were trying to exorcise it. Little did we know that he had a buddy. Jackson got me out, but…” I swallowed. “He got hurt, pretty bad. Bled out on the side of a road. When you lose someone like that, a one of a kind person that you  _ love _ , it changes you.” 

Sam nodded. “It was the same for Jess.” I stared into his multicolored eyes for a moment. His eyebrows were furrowed as he smiled gently.  _ Puppy dog look _ . I smiled and took a breath. 

“Okay. This case isn’t going to solve itself, anything in that journal that points to this?” I asked. 

“Let me look.” After a few moments of quiet, with the exception of chewing and the turning of a page. Then Sam said, “I think I got something.” 

He handed me the journal and I looked at the page. “A Vetala?” 

“I’m going to call Dean.” He dialed and left it on speaker. Unfortunately it went to voicemail. “Dean, hey. So we think this guy was hunting a Vetala. Um, Dad took one down back in the day. Silver knife to the heart, twist, they’re done. He says they’re maladjusted loner types-like to knock a guy out, drag him home, feed slow. So, if Krissy’s dad got grabbed, there’s a chance he might still be alive. Be nice to get this girl’s dad back home to her, you know? Alright, could use your help. Call me.” Sam hung up as we started to move. 

After getting a couple of silver knives from the car, we headed to the truck stop where the men went missing. We started at the diner. We went to the manager first, asking if he had seen Krissy’s dad and showing him the picture. He sent us to his waitress who had been serving the night he disappeared. 

“Excuse me. Your manager said that you might be able to help us.” Sam asked her. 

Her name tag said her name was Marlene. “Sure. What can I do for you?” 

I held up the folded up picture of Krissy’s dad. “You ever seen this man?” I asked. 

“I...might have served him the other day. I think he may have gone to talk to that girl out there.” She pointed out to a woman in a short denim skirt, crop top, and heels walking around outside. She wasn’t lying, but I didn’t like how vague she was.

“Thanks.” Sam said as we went out to talk to the other woman. “Hey! Can I talk to you for a second, uh…” the woman stopped. We both noticed the necklace she was wearing, said Sally. 

“Sally?” She nodded. “You ever seen this man?” I asked. 

“No.” Lie. 

“Are you sure?” 

She kept smiling as she said, “It’s not safe here. Somewhere private.” Another vague truth. 

As Sam moved to follow her, I grabbed his arm, “Sam...I’ve got bad feeling about this.” 

“It’s okay. Let’s just see what she has to say.” He said trying to assure me. 

We followed the woman in between two empty trucks. “Something’s happening around here. I’m afraid I’ll be next.” That was a dead face lie. 

“Why are you lying?” I asked her. 

Sam looked at me and behind us there were footsteps. We both draw our knives as Marleen, the waitress, came at Sam. As he tried to knife her, she grabbed him by the wrist and throat. She slammed him against the truck. Before I could see anything else, I felt a pair of hands grasp my shoulders and a pair of teeth sink into my neck. “Sam!” 

Then everything went black. 

…

  
  


As I came too, all I could hear was ringing. Not enough to hurt, but enough to get me awake. All I could smell was rotting flesh and blood. I tried to move my hands to feel the stinging wound on my neck, only to have them tied behind my back. I looked up to see Sam tied up as well not too far from me. “Sam?...Sam are you okay?” He stirred a little. Sam called my name. I answered, “I’m right here. Alive for right now.” 

Then another voice said, “That ringing in your ears-it’s from the venom.” 

“Venom?” Sam asked. 

“Yeah, they hit you with some kind of knockout juice. You two seem to be handling this pretty well.” 

“Yeah. Well, um...we were out looking for you.” Sam said. 

“You Lee Chambers?” I asked. 

The man nodded. “We’re friends of Bobby Singer’s. Krissy called. She-she’s fine. She is.” Sam said. “She is just worried about you. So how do we get out of here?” 

“I don’t know. They’ll be back pretty quick here.” 

“Just the two of them?” I asked. 

“Yeah, they’re a tag team. One of them knocks you out. The other one dumps your rig or your ride of whatever miles down the road. It’s a pretty nice system they got.” 

“They’ve been draining you.” Sam said. I noticed that Lee had a similar wound on his neck. 

“Yeah. They tap you three, four times, you’re dead. And let me tell you...you can’t see...you can’t walk. I thought they’d kill me right off, but they don’t have to. They got nothing to worry about.” 

“How many times have they fed on you?” I asked in horror. 

“Three.” 

After a few moments, “Sam?” As something dawned on me. 

“What?” 

I tried to keep my breathing steady. “I can’t  _ feel _ you guys.” 

“What?” Lee asked. 

I swallowed. “I’m an empath. I’m able to feel others emotions if I’m close enough. But something...something about their venom. It’s blocking it. And it’s scaring crap out of me.” 

“We’ll figure this out.” Sam said. “We just have to stay calm.” 

…

When night came, Sally finally entered the room. The venom had almost run its course on me, but I still wasn’t able to feel them. It was like losing a piece of myself. A part in which helped me communicate with the world around me. I felt useless. I stared daggers at the woman as she walked in. “Hunter day at the all-you-can-eat. How’s everyone feeling? Good?” None of us responded. “Strong silent. Fine. I don’t need much entertainment with my meal.” 

Then she walked towards Lee. I started fighting the ropes. “Don’t you dare touch him.” I said with bite in my voice. I wasn’t going to let another girl become an orphan. 

“and you’ll do what? Use your  _ powers _ on me?” She asked. 

“What?” 

“Oh yeah. When I took that bite, I knew exactly what you are, you _ freak _ .” She took a step closer. 

“That’s rich, coming from you, you  _ bitch _ .” She grabbed my hair and jerked my neck back. I braced for her teeth. 

“Yeah, keep talking. You’ll shut up in a minute.” 

“Hey, Sally, uh, did I tell you about the Vetalas I took down in Utah?” My eyes grew wide.  _ What is he doing!?  _ “Yeah, you remind me of them. Except they were so much...younger.” 

“Sam don’t!” I said as she walked away from me. 

They ignored me. “I tied ‘em up. Not because I had to. More so...I could take my time.” 

“You’re lying.” She bared her teeth. 

“No. I just want you to know how much I enjoyed cutting up your sisters.” 

“Shut up!” She went in and fanged her way into Sam’s neck. 

“Sam! Dammit Sam!” I shouted as I fought the ropes. After he stopped squirming Sally left him alone. So I started using my nail to try and scratch at the ropes. About an hour later and I could start feeling waves from Lee, small but there. And I was starting to get some ease on the ropes around my wrist. 

Then Marlene came in with another man. As she walked towards Lee, I could sense a familiar sense of determination.  _ Dean _ ? I thought. 

“Good thing we picked up a new one. This one’s about tapped out. You want to finish him together?” 

I nodded at Dean as soon as I made eye contact with him. Just as Sally said, ‘Sure. Love to.” He grabbed a metal bar and hit Sally. I pulled at the ropes as hard as I could. Hearing a snap I got them free, just in time to see Dean get pinned by Marlene. 

I grabbed a crow bar and hit her as hard as I could. She stumbled away as Dean grabbed the knife. “Are you okay?” He asked. 

“Yes just kill her!” He swung at her while I kept my crowbar in hand. Sam is awake by now. 

Then I heard a smaller voice. “Dad, hold on I got you!” Krissy ran across the room. 

“Krissy!?” I shouted as Sally grabbed her leg. She moved swiftly to grab the girl and hold her against herself with her fangs right by her neck. 

“No!” Lee shouted. By now, Dean had Marlene by the throat. 

My eyes grew wide as Sally said, “Let her go...or Little Miss Sunshine here gets it.” 

Dean lets the woman go and she runs off behind Lee. 

“Why is she here?” I asked. 

While Lee said with pain and despair in his voice. “What were you thinking, bringing her here?” 

Dean walked slowly towards Sally and Krissy. “Drop the knife! And the crowbar,  _ bitch _ .” We both put our weapons on the floor. 

“She’s just a child. Let her go.” Dean pleaded. 

“Yeah, I don’t think we’ll be letting anyone go.” 

“Daddy…” Krissy called out to her dad. My heart sunk. 

“It’s okay, baby. Everything’s gonna be fine.” 

The blonde one had enough, “Alright, enough with the family bonding. It’s time for you to shut up.” She sank her fangs into Lee. 

“No!” I shouted. 

Krissy started to panic. “Daddy, no! Dean!” 

“He can’t help you. No one can.” I looked to Sam, who was now awake. 

Then without a second to respond, Krissy pulled out a knife from her sleeve and turned around. She stabbed Sally in her chest “I guess I’ll have to help myself, then.” She twisted it, effectively killing the Vetala. 

Dean picked up the knife again as Marleen ran towards him. I picked up the crowbar again, ready to fight her. Krissy then cut Sam’s ropes and handed him the knife. In two seconds flat he had Marlene stabbed and killed. 

We all breathed out as the monsters were dead. Krissy went to her father and started untying him. To which she threw Dean a “Bad actress, huh?” 

“Yeah, I take it back.” Dean said. 

I dropped the crowbar and walked over to Sam. “You okay?” I asked him. 

“Yeah. You?” 

“Yep.” Then I punched him in the arm. 

“Ow!” He said as he cradled it. He looked down at me hurt.

“Baiting her? Really! You could have gotten killed!” I walked away towards the unconscious Lee to see how he was doing. Dean chuckled a little at my reaction. 

I glanced back just in time to see Sam use his bitch face at his brother. I smirked as I helped get Lee towards his feet. 

...

  
  


We dropped Krissy and her dad off at the ER and went back to the motel. Dean started to patch us up. “So what happened?” He asked as he handed me the bottle of whiskey. 

I took a sip. He was cleaning the wound on my neck. “They jumped us. Right as I caught one of them in lie.” He took the whiskey and poured it over the wound. I hissed at the burn of the alcohol on the raw skin. 

Sam was in the bathroom, cleaning his own wound. “Knocked us out, and we woke up in that building with Lee.” 

“So why did Sam get a beating?” Dean asked laughing. 

I glared at him. “You might get one too if you keep babying me.” 

“Hey this needs stitches. Relax.” He got out a curved needle and thread it. “So, continue please.” 

I rolled my eyes. “She was going to feed on Lee, and he was almost tapped out. He would’ve died if he got fed on again. I was trying to protect him. She was ready to feed on me when Sam decided to egg her on.” 

Sam had come out with a cloth on his neck. “I was trying to protect you.” A wave of genuine concern came from him. 

“I could’ve handled it Sam.  _ Instead _ I was scared shitless as she fed on you, and I had to watch.” I said with bite in my voice. 

He gave me another puppy eyed look. “I’m sorry.” 

I huffed as Dean was working on stitching my neck. “Yeah, I know. Just don’t do it again, please.” I smirked. “I don’t think I could handle Dean on my own.” 

We both laughed as Dean grumbled. 

Sam then asked. “So how is your...uh…” 

“Abilities? They’re coming back, almost all the way now.” 

“What?” Dean asked with a wave of protectiveness. 

“When I was dosed up. I couldn’t sense anything that way. It was so weird. I don’t know how  you people go on like that.” 

“Like what?” Sam asked with a smile and crossed his arms. 

“Disconnected. I mean, I get that it’s really out of the normal sensing others emotions all the time. But...it’s all I’ve ever known outside of life or death situations. It was like I was adrift. Unable to mentally hold on to anything. I don’t think I had  _ ever _ felt so alone.” 

“Well you’re not now.” Dean said as he finished my stitches. 

I smiled at Sam. “No. I’m not anymore.” He smiled back at me. 

…

A few days later, we made it to the hospital Lee was getting treated in. We walked towards his room, with Crissy sitting outside. I smiled at her before walking into the hospital room. Lee was sitting in bed and a wave of gratitude came through the room. “Yeah, I was hoping you’d stop by. I wanted to thank you.” 

I smiled. “It’s no problem.” Sam said. 

“Not at all.” I added. 

“No, you saved my life. Krissy’s too.” Lee said. 

“Actually,” Sam replied, “uh, she kind of saved ours.” 

Then Dean pulled the bandaid off. “Don’t thank us. Quit.” Lee had a wave of confusion. “Your daughter’s fourteen years old. She’s already a hunter with a-a kill under her belt. I’m not trying to be a dick, but what do you think that does to her life span? She could still be a regular kid.” It was the most serious I had seen Dean speak outside of a dangerous situation. I was kind of proud. 

“You know, I got into this for a reason.” 

“I know. Your family. That’s the same reason you should get out now.” Dean said. 

“I can’t. You ever known anyone who left the life?” The man asked. 

“No. They all get killed first.” Dean said bluntly. 

“Look. Lee, Krissy’s great but...she deserves to have a normal life. A fresh-start. I think you  _ both _ do.” I said to him. Concern and realization came over in waves as he thought about it. 

“Well, uh...we should probably let you get some rest.” Sam said.

“Yeah.” Lee waved us off. We left the room and headed straight for the car. 

Once we left the doors of the hospital, Krissy ran out. “Dean! Thanks for saying bye, asshat.” I chuckled at her. Sam and I walked towards the car to let them have a chat goodbye. 

“I gotta say, he’s good with kids.” I said to Sam. 

He nodded, “yeah. Do you ever want it?” He asked. 

“Want What?” 

“To get out of the life?” 

“Sometimes...there was time a long time ago, where I thought I could have that. You know, career, husband, kids all that...thought I could have it with Jackson. But...Not made for it. Believe me, I would be climbing walls within a month if I had to work in a freaking cubicle.” 

We chuckled. “Not the husband and kids?” He asked. A spark of hope coming from him. 

“Maybe someday. Just not today.” I said with a chuckle. 

…

We decided to head back towards Rufus’s cabin. It was dark on the road as Dean drove, Sam sat shotgun, and I sat in the back. I had my arms crossed as I sat in the seat behind Sam Watching the road ahead. After hours of silence, Sam said, with a wave of acceptance “You know what? Good for them.” 

I nodded at that. Dean replied. “Yeah, it’s nice to walk away from someone and feel like they could be okay. How about you? How you doing? You alright?” 

“No. I’m definitely not. But, you know, I mean, um, I think, maybe...I just want to work.” Sam said. 

Dean nodded. “What about you ESP?” He asked me through the rear view mirror. 

I smiled and shook my head. “Doing okay. Working sounds pretty good.” 

“Should I even ask?” Sam said. 

“I’m fine.” Dean said. 

“Yeah right.” I mumbled as I sunk into my seat. Sleep was starting to call me. 

Sam just had a wave of frustration. “‘Fine,’ meaning?” 

“You’re right. We should just...work, right? And figure out a way to kick Dick Roman’s ass. Well, hey, we are the professionals.” I snorted at that. “What?” 

“Y’all still owe me an explanation for that.” I said with a yawn. Sam turned on the radio and leaned into the window. I closed my eyes as I felt, for the first time from Dean since before Bobby, a feeling of peace from him. I smiled as I fell into a dreamless sleep. 

  
  



	8. Time After Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and I get stuck in 1944 with none other than Eliot Ness himself.

_“Just because your pain is understandable, doesn’t mean your behavior is acceptable.”_ -Dr. Steve Maraboli 

  
  
  


It had been a few weeks since the Vetala case. A friend of the boys called them and pointed us in the direction of a new one, so we headed out. Staying in an abandoned house, we got a lead. So we staked out a man in a fedora in the car. “There he is.” I said as I spotted him.

“Alright, let’s do this. Move fast.” Dean cocked his gun. I furrowed my eyebrows. 

“Wait, Wait, Wait, What’s the plan exactly?” Sam asked. 

“Don’t die.” Dean got out of the car. Sam and I exchanged a look as a wave of concern washed over the both of us, still we followed the man down the alley. As the man went down one stretch of ally, Dean said, “He’s heading downtown, alright, you take the street.” He clasped my shoulder. “We’ll take the alleys. We meet in the middle.” 

Sam went off and took the street while Dean and I continued to follow. We were close enough to feel waves of purpose come from the man. Still, I stayed silent. 

The man turned a corner and when we followed, we found him kneeling over another man on the ground. A red light was coming from him as Dean said, before we bolted towards him, “Son of a…” 

I followed at Dean’s heels. We both tackled the man just as a red light surrounded us, waves of energy pulsing through us. The last thing I heard was Sam shouting our names. 

…

  
  


Two Days Earlier

Dean was sitting at the table with his laptop open and a bottle of whisky nearby. Sam was asleep on the bed in the far corner of the room as it was getting late into the night. I sat in the chair, my legs over the arm, near the tv reading through a book, my eyes were getting heavy. I was startled as a cell phone rang in the room. 

Sam sat up by it. He groaned a little as he glared at Dean. “Don’t give me that dirty-diaper look. I ain’t calling you.” I smirked a little as I focused on reading. 

Sam answered the phone on speaker. “Hello?” 

“Sam, it’s Jody Mills. I wake you?” 

“The sheriff? Uh…” I looked up at Sam with my eyebrows raised. He turned on the lamp beside him. 

“Yeah. Uhm I mean, uh-“ 

“Listen, I got something that smells like you boys.” She said. “A body turned up in Canton, Ohio. Local P.D’s trying to bury the story and the body.” 

“Okay, um, so, uh, what’s up with the body?” He asked. 

“Well, when it went missing, it was a perfectly normal grad student named Charles Durban. When it turned up, the thing was mummified minus the wrapping. This is actually the second body found like this in the last couple weeks. Sound like a song you boys tap to?” She asked. 

I had closed my book at this point as Sam said, “yeah, yeah, that’s, that’s um...that’s our kind of number. Hey question-how does a sheriff in Sioux Falls get wind of a case in Ohio?” 

“I’m just that nosy. Look, after everything I’ve been through with you boys and...with Bobby,” her voice shook a little at his name, threatening to cry, “you know, something like this pops up on the wire, it catches my ear. What can I say?” 

“Well, we’ll look into it. Thanks, Sherriff.” 

“Call me after, okay?” She asked. 

“Yeah.” He hung up the phone. “She caught us one.” He said as he looked up at Dean. 

“Oh, I feel bad. We didn’t get her anything.” I rolled my eyes as I got up to get some water. 

As I got a glass, Sam said with a wave of frustration. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I hope you’re watching cartoon smut, cause reading Dick Roman crap over and over again is just self punishment.” 

I looked over the moment Dean closed the computer. “Yep, Roman crap again.” I said with a smirk, and walked back across the room. 

Despite the air of him being annoyed, Dean said in his defense, “It’s called anime, and its an art form.” 

I picked my book back up and continued reading, “still porn, Dean.” 

Sam just laughed at the face Dean made.

…

The next day we drove all the way out to Canton, Ohio. Forgoing the motel, we found an abandoned house just outside of town. Despite the ‘no trespassing’ signs, Dean said, “Well, this looks nice. Check around back?” 

The three of us were in our Fed attire as we settled in. I was bringing in my bag as Dean carried a table into the room. Sam then came down the stairs with a chair. “Well, there’s a...semi-function bathroom and one in-rancid bedroom.” 

I smirked, “I’ll take unrancid any day. Enough room for a roommate?” I asked the brothers. 

Dean then said, “Define semi-functioning, and do not use the words ‘hole in the floor.’” I threw my bag over my shoulder as Sam held out his first. 

“Rock, paper, scissors? Really?” I rolled my eyes and walked up the stairs. 

I heard Dean’s “come on!” When I entered the white room. I took the far corner and rolled out my sleeping bag. 

Sam then walked in and went to the opposite wall. “Hey roomie.” I said cheerily as I got out my hunter’s journal. Sam rolled out his own sleeping bag and Dean stopped at the doorway, his annoyance rolling off of him. 

“How does paper beat a rock. It’s stupid.” I laughed at him as he left. Then I took a pause. _Sam and I are sharing a room_? I thought. I mean we’d shared a motel room before, but this was...it felt different. Ever since we really had a heart to heart during the case near Dodge City, our connection was different. Stronger, but...different. I couldn’t really put a finger on it. I shook my head as I headed out the bedroom door, choosing to focus on the case. 

…

I was taking a look a the ME report as we stood in front of the witness’s house. “Jesus f-ing Christ,” I mumbled as I saw the picture of the body for the first time. 

“Kids playing hide-and-seek found the body.” Sam explained. I made a face at that. 

Dean was looking over my shoulder as he said “Wow, very King Tut.” He was holding both of our coffees as I flipped through the report.

“Yeah,” Sam said as his breath fogged up in the cold air. “so, um this is where the eyewitness to the assault lives, but the cops are calling him an unreliable witness.” 

“Because?” Dean asked. I raised my eyebrow. 

“Let’s find out.” We walked up to the door, with the report under my arm. Sam knocked on the door as we pulled our FBI badges out. 

Dean introduced us, “Special Agent Smith. This is, uh, Special Agent Smith. No relation. And Agent Johnson.” I smiled as I put the badge in my pocket. 

The man’s eyes grew wide as I smelt the scent of Marijuana. _So this is why he’s an unreliable witness._ I thought to myself as he said, “Whoa. Do you mind if we, uh...My mom’s sleeping in there.” A clear lie. Clear panic and comfort came off the man as he wrapped himself in a blanket. He was high as well. “S-so, how can I…” he trailed off. 

“Oh, we, uh-we had a few questions about the incident you witnessed in the alley.” Sam said. 

A bit of anger was wafting over him, “you just gonna laugh at my story like the rest of the suits?” 

“We’re not gonna laugh at you.” Dean said to him. 

“Just tell us what you saw.” I said gently. 

“Alright, well, I’m on the steps...medicating…” _of course he was_ , I thought to myself, “when I hear fighting. So I look. There’s my neighbor Durbin, and some dude dressed like my grandpa’s got him by the neck right?” Excitement wafted off of him too. 

“What do you mean he looks like your grandpa?” Dean asked. 

“Uh...Snappy shoes, suit, one of those, um, Justin Timberlake hats.” 

I furrowed my eyebrows. “Y-you mean a-a fedora?” Sam asked. 

The weed was definitely kicking in now as his speech slowed. “Aha!” 

“Did you see anything else?” 

“This red, like, _energy_ passed through Durbin to hat guy. Even my watch stopped. Durbs...he aged before my eyes. He looked like a _raisin_.” 

“Well…”I said with a smile, “we believe you.” 

“Oh!” He nodded with appreciation. 

“Thanks for your help.” Dean said. 

“Thank you, officer-officers.” 

We turned and left the porch. “Wow.” Dean said. 

“Yeah. I think he was _medicating_ before we got there.” I said dryly. 

“Ya think?” 

…

We returned to the house and began researching immediately. I was going through a few of Bobby’s books I had brought with me on the floor, while Sam was on his lap top with Dean turning through their father’s journal at the table. 

After about an hour, Dean closed up his dad’s journal. “Yep. Nothing that turns a dude into a _Cryptkeeper_. You?” He asked, then opened up the cooler to get three fresh beers.

He tossed one to me as Sam said, “Uh, well, greater Canton turns out kind of a hot spot for weird dead bodies.” 

“Really?” I asked while Dean at the same time said, “You don’t say.” 

I got up from my spot on the floor and dragged the cooler towards Dean. I used it as a makeshift seat while Sam said, “Yeah. News Archives.” He turned the laptop towards us. “They’re not exactly reporting, uh mummifies. But still, uh-1928. Three deaths cited as spontaneous combustion, bodies, quote, ‘shriveled despite no signs of fire.’” 

“Little stretch, but okay.” Dean said. 

I took a sip of beer as Sam continued. “‘74. Three bodies found with leathery decay. Uh, ‘57 three more...severe dehydration, this time one made the front page.” Sam showed us a newspaper photograph of a young girl with policemen pointing at a dried up corpse with several witnesses around. “Girl named Terry Cervantes found a corpse near her church.” 

“Any pattern other than the location?” I asked. 

“Random vics, random years, but they seem to drop in threes.” 

“That’s two down, one to go.” After a beat, Dean took the laptop. “Alright, let me drive for a sec.” 

“What, are you gonna look up more anime, or you strictly into Dick now?” Sam quipped. 

I chuckled as I said, “oh let me leave the room for that.” Dean ignored us, despite the sudden wave of annoyance and started looking into the local surveillance network. 

“Hmm.” 

“Are those local feeds?” Sam asked. 

“Yeah.” A wave of pride washed over him. 

“Wow.” I said with a smirk. 

“How did you do that so fast?” Sam asked with a little shock. 

“A little tutorial from Frank. Don’t worry. We’ll pretend this never happened.” I chuckled at that and sipped more beer. “Now, mummy numero dos was, uh, found at the Gas n’ Sip near Main Street correct?” 

“Yeah.” 

Dean typed in a little more and brought up more security feed. “Alright, well, here’s all the cameras around that store.” 

“You need to teach me that trick.” 

After a moment, Dean noticed something. “Hey, check it out...Timberlake.” I stared at the man on the screen for a moment, then Sam had a wave of realization come forward. 

“Wait a sec.” He said then took the laptop back. 

“You can’t let me bask in the glory for one second, can you?” Dean asked, annoyed. 

“Shut up.” Sam and I said at the same time. Then he said to us, “look.” 

Sam had taken a still of the surveillance footage and put it next to the newspaper article. Dean finally caught on as I asked, “he hasn’t aged a day, has he?” 

“Alright, well, if he’s been popping up for decades now, then somebody’s bound to know who he is, right? Is there any chance that, Uh, Terry’s still local?” 

We tracked Terry down to the local hospital. Found that she was a doctor and asked her about the man in the fedora. “You know it’s so pretty in the spring. Everything’s blooming. That’s why I walked home that way, to see the flowers. Instead, I found that body. I still have no idea what could have done that to a person.” She said. 

“Do you recognize that man?” Dean asked her. 

After a moment, she answered, “Yeah. I mean, he lived on my parents’ street. Mr Snider.” 

“Where’d you say your parents live?” 

…

So we went to the street that night. Found the house Snider had lived on. Waited for him. Followed him to that alley and Dean and I fell into the red light. 

I fell to the cold ground on top of the two men. There was a bit of a scuffle as Dean and the man faced off for a moment. I was still disoriented by the red light. As soon as the man broke off, Dean got me by the arm and had his gun out. I followed him, gaining my senses back and ran towards the fedora. 

“Hey!” Dean said to him as he ran off. As soon as we hit the street, I thought we had walked on to a movie set. Jazz was coming out of the windows as old cars drove by. Passer by were in suits and skirts. My eyes were wide as I clung to Dean. He was as shocked as I was. 

Though the hits kept on coming. Two policemen came out of nowhere and pointed their guns at us. “Hey, you! Drop the gun! Put it down! Drop the gun!” 

“Alright.” Dean said as he dropped it and they immediately went towards us. 

One of them pulled me away from Dean as they put him in cuffs. “You alright sweetheart.” 

I had to think quickly. “No! You’re arresting my brother!” 

After some protesting, they let me accompany Dean to the police station. Apparently I was being detained as well for just being related to him or something, still I was worried. As we were dragged away, I had the feeling we weren’t in 2012 anymore. 

…

Dean was taken into an interrogation room, which I was told to sit out in front of in a hallway. Technically, I wasn’t in custody, but I still got weird looks from every officer walking through the place. I kept my mouth shut as I listened as best I could through the thin wall. “Okay, can I just-“ 

“Don’t. Listen to me. Hey if you tell me you’re from the Bureau one more time, I’m gonna air you out myself. Got it?” After a pause the man said, “‘No Signal’. Are you some kind of Jerry spy?” 

_Did he think Dean was Russian or something_? I asked myself. “Jerry who?” Dean asked. I rolled my eyes. 

“And a terrible one at that.” Another pause. “This badge was issued sixty eight years from now. Ace work, kraut-muncher.” _Oh great he thinks we’re German_ . Then I thought about what he said. _Sixty eight years. That means we’re in 1944! That’s a start_. I couldn’t hear anything else as I watched a man in a coat and fedora come down the hallway. 

He took a look at me with scrutiny and a wave of curiosity, but still he removed his hat and said, “you’re here with your brother ma’am?” 

“Yes.” I said.

He only nodded and went inside. “Come with me.” 

“Are we in any trouble?” I asked as I stood. 

“Just come inside. See your brother.” He replaced his hat and entered. I followed him and went down a few steps. The man ordered the policeman, “Take a powder.” 

“Yes, sir.” He said and gave me another weird look. 

The man took the chair that the policeman was just sitting in and gave it to me. I took it, staring at Dean’s belongings in front of me. Dean made eye contact with me and nodded. A wave of protectiveness came over. I felt safer already at least. 

I smiled a little as Dean said, “She’s not involved in anything. Look, I don’t even like frigging sauerkraut, okay, so you can just skip the-“ 

“What happened in the alley? And paint me a real picture.” The man said. Something about him seemed familiar as I stared at his handsome face. 

“Alright, well, I’m ‘twelve monkeyed’ no matter what I say, so here goes. We were chasing this dude.” I rolled my eyes. Even in 1944 Dean wouldn’t try to cool it with his slang. “Uh, I’d just seen him mummify a guy. Yeah. So, we jumped him. He lights up red. Poof, we’re in 1944.” 

The man looked down at me for a moment looking for confirmation. I nodded. Then he tossed a folder onto the table. He sat on the chair next to mine and took his hat off again. “Tell me more about the red light.” 

My eyes widened. _He’s a hunter_! “Are you seriously asking-“ Dean started. 

“You two want out of this jail, you’re gonna tell me everything you can about that man and the so-called light.” 

“Okay. We saw it, and then we were here.” Dean answered. 

“Would you say that, uh...it was all around you or that more that it came from inside this fella?” 

“You believe me. Are you…?-“ 

“You’re a hunter.” I said for him. 

He quirked an eyebrow at me and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Lie. 

I looked at Dean, trying to tell him quietly that he was lying. “Demons, ghosts, shifters. Hey, I’ve killed ‘em all. And so has she.” He said pointing at me. I nodded despite the man giving me a strange look, shock coming off him. “And you’re the same. Just sixty eight years before us, Huh?” 

The man exhaled sharply and held out a hand to Dean. “And your name is…?” 

Dean then shakes his hand. “Dean...Winchester.” Dean introduced me. 

I shook the man’s hand myself as he said, “Ness. Elliot Ness.” My eyes grew wide and so did Deans. 

…

  
  


After getting Dean out of his handcuffs, Ness had returned. I was still in my chair as I watched Dean have his fan girl moment. “I-I got to tell you, I mean, _Untouchables_ is, like, one of my most favorite movies ever.” 

I rolled my eyes. He was breaking every time travel rule I could think of, but we were breaking them just by being there so I let him have his moment. “What?” Ness asked. 

“I must have seen that thing, like, fifty times.” 

“‘Seen it?’ What, like, I’m in the-“ Shock came from the man in a small wave. 

“Oh, yeah, yeah! You don’t even know! Oh, you are-phht!” Dean said with excitement wafting off him. 

“Look, hey, Wait, Wait, Wait. Let’s just...slow it down. Okay?” Ness had sat back down, “Now, time travel. Is that something you find up a lot of sleeves in the future or…?” 

“No, no...it’s uh, not normally on the menu.” I said. 

“Trust me,” Dean said as he sat down. “We’re as surprised as you are that we’re here.” 

Fascination came off of him. “So we’re hunting the same thing, just in different centuries.” 

“Looks like it.” I said with a smile. 

“And uh...women hunt in your time?” 

Dean smiled proudly at me. “Yeah. You’d be surprised what us women can do. And soon they’ll start to really show it.” 

Ness nodded and pushed a folder towards Dean. He and Ness both open them and he starts to explain, “Two bodies. A few days apart just a little over a month ago. One witness said that she saw an assailant light up red after sucking the life out of a man.” 

“Awesome.” Dean said. I rolled my eyes again as I sighed and took a look at the pictures. 

Ness had a wave of confusion. “How does that fill you with awe? Look, Dean, this thing, it kills-“ 

“In threes.” He finished for Ness. 

“In threes.” 

“But you already knew that.” I said to him. 

“He’s two down. You two are coming with me. We’ve got to get this thing before it grabs the last one.” Ness grabbed his coat and hat. 

While Dean grabbed the files. “Okay, so, so, Wait, uh…” he said with a wave of true excitement. “Does...does this mean that I’m an untouchable now?” 

I wanted to say something snarky to him, but I couldn’t with the way he just looked up with hope. Ness ignored him and said, “it means we got to get you into some new clothes. You both look like some kind of bindlestiffs.” 

We followed him as Dean said, “stiff your br-bin...What?” Ness drove us a few minuets from the police precinct to a Tailors shop. We walked in quickly to a woman working at a table listening to music of the fourties, or I should say modern music. 

“What’s the rumpus, Elliot?” She asked. 

“Ezra Moore. Dean Winchester.” He followed with my own name. She turned around and looked at us with scrutiny. 

“Hey.” Dean said as I just smiled. 

“Who are they? Some kind of farmer clowns?” 

“Excuse me?” I asked. I mean I didn’t look of the time, but I liked my jeans, t-shirt, and jacket combo. She even looked down upon my sneakers. 

Ness quickly followed with, “they, uh, are from the future.” 

Dean smiled with a spark of pride. “Yeah. Gas costs four bucks. You can get cheese out of a spray can. And...the President, he’s a black guy. I could go on.” 

“Please don't.” I said. 

“Paint me impressed.” She stood. “I assume you need some clothes. Come on.” She grabbed Dean by the arm and dragged him to the back of the shop. 

Ness and I waited in the front of the shop. He had pulled out a newspaper and started reading as I stared at the pictures hanging on the walls. It didn’t take long for Dean to come out completely transformed, he was wearing a suit in brown tones and a white shirt, his hair was combed neatly and parted to the side. Ness smiled and whistled at him. 

I smiled too as Dean looked at himself in the mirror. “Ezra...you're a miracle worker.” Dean had another spark of pride. 

“I know.” She said as she smoothed out Deans suit jacket. 

As he took a good look at himself, Dean said, “Awesome.” 

“‘Awesome?’ You some religious kook?” Ezra asked. 

Before I could answer, Ness just said, “No, he just likes saying that.” I chuckled. 

Then Ezra turned to me. “Alright, Missy. Your turn.” I was dragged to the back myself. She found me a white blouse and a maroon skirt that hugged the curves of my hips. Underneath them I had to wear, for the first time in a very long time, a pair of stockings. Which I had to wear with a couple garters. It was complete with a matching suit jacket and heels. 

Ezra then pulled and pined my hair back into an updo that better matched the times. Then she gave me a broach to add on the jacket. Once I was finished dressing, she let me out fo the room. 

Ness gave me a whistle. Dean’s pride took over the room and smiled brightly. “Ezra. I second that you’re a miracle worker. God if Sammy could see you now.” I blushed, twisted the ring on my finger as I finally looked in the mirror. 

I couldn’t really believe it. _I look like a freaking pin up_ . I thought to myself. I smoothed the skirt over and stared for a moment. _Was this really me_? 

Then I noticed Dean staring at me. “Quit staring at my ass Dean.” 

“Sorry.” He said as he turned around. Though Ezra and Ness were surprised at my language, they just ignored me. 

I was still wearing the makeup that I normally did, but Ezra decided I needed some lipstick. She handed me a tube as she said, “So, spill already. What bucket of scrum did you Idjits step into?” 

Dean and I both chuckled. Though I kept it to a minimum as I applied the color. “Something funny sweetheart?” She asked. 

“No, you, uh...you just kind of remind us of someone.” Dean explained. 

“Okay, Ezra…” Ness started. “We need your help. It seems we’re hunting a time traveler.” 

“Delightful.” Ezra poured into her collection of lore. As I helped her look through it, she found something. 

“It’s the infinite hourglass.” 

“That’s the symbol I saw on his ring.” Dean said. 

“Yeah, that’s the mark of Chronos.” Ezra explained. 

“Who?” He asked. 

“The god of time genius.” I said dryly. Ezra then got us ready to leave. She gave me a long light colored coat and matching hat. Thankfully, Ezra gave me a holster that I could hide in the waistband of my skirt, and I was armed with my gun. 

“Could be he’s killing folks for his time juice.” Ness said. 

“Alright, well, how the hell are we gonna ride him back to 2012?” Dean said as he put Bobby’s flask in his pocket. 

“Well, you could let him grab you, if you don’t mind him using you for gasoline.” She said. 

We glanced at each other. “Yeah that’s not an option.” I told her. 

Ness then said, “Look, let’s just stick with what we know. Ezra, see if you can find something in all this junk that will kill a God.” 

“No trouble at all. Come in a few hours, see what I can scrounge up.” 

“You said you fellas found his house? Well, let’s go see if it’s been build yet. And then let’s kill that bastard, because that-“ 

Dean put on his hat. “Is the Chicago way.” 

I rolled my eyes. Ezra and Ness were just confused. “‘Chicago way?’” She asked. 

“Who talks like that?” Ness asked. 

Dean had a wave of embarrassment and tried to put on his best impression of, “Sean Connery.” 

“Come on.” Ezra said as she helped him with his coat. 

“Never watching that movie again.” He said as he picked up the gun and holster. 

“Never meet your idols right?” I asked playfully as we left the tailor shop to which I got a look from Dean. 

…

  
  


We made it to Snider’s house not an hour later. Dean peered inside through the window on the door and said, “It looks empty. You got a lock pick?” 

“Sure.” Then Ness took a step back and kicked in the door. We all drew our guns and went in. “Take a look around, where’s he getting all the lettuce to support this?” 

The house was quite large for a single man. It was clean but bare with the exception of some furnishings. We found the livingroom and started looking through anything that could have information that we needed. 

Dean then found a journal and opened it. “He’s using the ‘Biff strategy’.” I looked over Dean shoulder to see races and results in the near future. 

“Using What?” Ness asked. 

“He’s-Chronos is betting on races he already knows the outcome of.” I said to him. 

Dean then handed him the journal. “Look at this.” 

After a moment, Ness said, “He’s spent a lot of time in ‘44.” 

“Yeah.” Dean said then pointed to the initials in the journal. “What’s LY?” 

“It’s not a what. It’s a who.” Ness explained while closing up the journal. “Lester Young. He lays bets for a lot of the flunkies in town. Let’s say we go pay him a visit.” 

We found Lester outside of a diner and took him back to the police Precinct. Dean pushed him into the interrogation room while Ness and I followed close behind. “Hey! W-whoa! Hey!” He said as Dean pushed the man into a chair. “Easy with the jacket! Yeah, I ain’t talking. I’m no stoolie. And since when did you bring ya wife to a shake down?” To which Dean gave him a punch knocking him to the floor. 

I smiled at Lester as he cradled his jaw, “I’m no one’s wife.” I took my hat off and threw it on the table. Ness then gave Dean a look, confusion coming off him. 

“I learned it from watching you.” Dean explained. Then he helped the man sit up. 

Ness began questioning him sitting on the table. I took a seat on a chair near them. “Look, you seem like a swell guy, Lester.” 

Dean then took off his hat and jacket. _Good cop, bad cop routine, alright_. I thought as I said. “And we want to help you out. Of course we do.” 

“We do, but my partner here?” Ness added, “He just got back from the war.” Dean began rolling the sleeves of his white shirt up. “And he’s spent the last two years kicking in Nazi skulls.” 

I shrugged. “If he doesn’t kick in a skull every couple of days, he gets real touchy.” 

Panic washed over the man as Dean angrily asked, “Lester. That a German name?” I smirked as the guy cracked. 

“Hey, okay, okay. There’s no need to snap your cap. W-who you looking for?” 

“Fella by the name of Snider.” Ness said. 

“What, that guy? I mean, bum never missed a bet, but he gave me the heebie-jeebies, so I cut him off.” He was telling the truth. 

“Where would you meet him for the payoff?” Ness asked. 

As Lester hesitated, Dean raised an arm and moved closer. “T-the Early Bird! It’s a dive on Haggerty. Practically lives in the joint.” 

…

We were sitting in front of the Early Bird Diner in Ness’s car. Ness and Dean were sitting up front while I sat in the back. We had spotted Chronos. He was sitting at the diner’s bar with a cup of coffee, “That’s him.” Dean muttered. 

“Kind of puny for a god.” Ness said. I chuckled at that. Then Ness pulled out a flask and drank from him. 

Dean had a wave of surprise when Ness held it out for him. When Dean didn’t take it, I did. “Thought you were, uh-thought you were Mr. Boy Scout.” I took a swig of the whiskey and handed it back to Ness. 

“Why do you think I went after Capone in the first place? The guy had the best hooch in Chicago.” 

After a few beats, Dean asked, “So, now, w-who died in your life and made you a hunter?” 

“Who died. Nobody died, you morbid son of a bitch.” I sniggered at that, fighting a good laugh from the irony. “I started doing this ‘cause vampires were turning folks in Cleveland.” 

“And you got the bug.” I said. 

“That’s when I got the bug.” Ness then took another swig. “Sometimes you just want to punch through the red tape with a silver bullet. Yeah, hunting sets me free. Isn’t that why you two hunt?” 

“I used to do it ‘cause that’s what my family did.” Dean said. I listened intently as I felt a wave of insecurity come over him. “But they just seem to keep dying, to tell you the truth, I don’t know why I’m doing much of anything anymore.” I frowned at that, but I was also surprised by Dean’s sudden vulnerability. 

And toxic masculinity came right back in as Ness said, “Boo-hoo Cry me a river, ya Nancy. Tell me, are all hunters as soft as you in the future?” After a beat, Ness said, “Everybody loses everybody. And then one day, boom. Your number is up, but at least you’re making a difference. So enjoy it while it lasts, kid, ‘cause hunting’s the only clarity you’re gonna find in this life. And that makes you luckier than most.” 

In the quiet, a blonde woman walks out of the diner and across the street in front of us. We watched her as Ness said, “Hello, Nurse.” 

I rolled my eyes. Then looked back at Chronos. “Hey.” He was getting up to leave. 

The man left the diner quickly and followed the girl on her same path. As soon as we were out of his sight, we got out of Ness’s car. We went to the back of it and Ness opened his trunk full of hunter’s weapons. “Sweet merciful awesome.” 

I rolled my eyes at Dean and Ness handed each of us a shotgun from his hidden arsenal. Then we ran after Chronos, fully intent to prevent him from killing his next victim. 

We followed close behind Chronos keeping steady and waited for him to catch up the the woman. As we turned a corner, the man grabbed the young woman by the arm. All three of us aimed at the man but didn’t shoot. Chronos wasn’t sucking the life from her, he was kissing her passionately. We all glanced at each other with waves of confusion coming from the both of ‘em. 

We went back to the car and followed the couple out to the outskirts of town. Before we got to the house however, we stopped to talk to a local. Ness was speaking to him as we waited in the car. “Well, everything’s coming up us kid.” 

“Talk to me.” Dean said. 

“I am.” I chuckled at his response. “The owner of the house, Miss Lila Taylor, age twenty, lives alone. Take the car, head back to Ezra, see what she’s got. I’m gonna stay here and keep my peepers on the Sheik and the Sheba.” 

Dean handed Ness his rifle. I said to him, “Be careful.” And we drove away back to the city. 

We had a while to sit in the car to get back into the city. So I decided to ask, “Hey Dean? What did you mean by your not sure why you do ‘anything anymore’?” 

A wave of old anger and insecurity came over as he thought about it. “You don’t have to listen to my crap.” He said. 

“Dean, you're my friend. I’m happy to listen to your crap. Hell after everything we’ve been through. Especially with Bobby, it’s probably a good idea.” 

He smiled a little. “I don’t know. So much has changed and...the world doesn’t seem like it wants to be saved anymore.” 

I nodded. “If you ask me, you put way too much on your shoulders Dean. I mean, you seem like the person who has to take care of everybody. Like Sam, like me.” I said with a smile. “But you should take care of yourself too. Why do you think they tell mothers to put the oxygen mask on themselves first before their children?” 

“Cause their dicks?” 

I laughed, “no, so both are saved.” After beat, “you don’t have to listen to me, but...I’m here to listen to you. If you need it.” A spark of comfort came over as his insecurity faded. 

Then he looked at me and smiled. “Thanks.” 

…

By the time we got to Ezra’s, I was getting worried. Sitting on her work table was a branch that had been dipped in blood and sharpened. “That’s it?” Dean asked. 

I gave Dean a disapproving look as Ezra explained. “That is a one thousand year old olive carved by vestal virgins and dippined the blood of...you don’t want to know, pulling this together wasn’t easy. You and Ness both owe me, smoothie.” 

I raised my eyebrows at that. Dean then, with a smirk, said, “You can have whatever you want…” he picked up the stake. “Soon as we tank this thing.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Take your twig, wise guy.” 

“Well, now, how's it work?” He asked. I looked at Ezra expectantly as she walked around the table towards Dean, annoyance rolling off of her.

“You stick this end in his heart. Miss, he has you for supper. Make sense?” 

I furrowed my eyebrows as Dean and both felt panic. I said, “Wait, if we kill Chronos...we’re stuck here.” 

“You just now realized? Oh, come on. 1944 ain’t so bad.” She reasoned. 

“Yeah, I could head over to Europe, punch Hitler in the neck.” Dean said while looking at the stake. 

“Oh, there’s lots of ways to pass the time, sugar.” Ezra then pulled Dean by his jacket and kissed him. I fought a laugh as he pulled away with shock coming off him. “That’s for luck...Cause I’m lucky.” 

I turned away to hide my smile. “Thanks.” He said. She walked away and we moved to leave the shop. Then Dean found three envelopes. He smiled at me and said, “ _Back to the Future III_.” I quirked and eyebrow for a moment then realized what he wanted to do. 

I turned back to Ezra. “Can we borrow some paper and a pen?” She obliged and handed it to me. I gave it to Dean and he sat down. He wrote a letter to Sam explaining what happened and where we were. After signing it, he pushed a blank piece to me and the pen. I sighed as I realized these were my last words to Sam. 

I’m never seeing him again. It left an empty spot in my stomach. I had only known him for a few months, but...I cared about him. I was going to miss him.  
  
Still, I wrote what I could. “ _Sam...I’m sorry but we’re probably not coming back. We tried, but...I guess this is how it has to be. Take care of my bike. If you can’t keep her, give her a good home. A hunter maybe, she deserves to be on the open road. I wish that we had more time. But you know as much as I do that no one is promised tomorrow. Be good to yourself Sam, I know how hard on yourself you can be. I’ll make sure Dean’s okay. And promise me something; Be brave Sam. Love always..._ ” 

I folded it neatly and gave it to Dean. He stashed it in his jacket along with the stake. We left the shop to head towards the abandoned home we knew Sam would be in the future. 

…

  
  


After a stop at the house, and stashed the letters right under the owner’s nose, we headed back to Ness. We both took the shotguns out and broke into a jog across the field in front of Lila’s house. We hid behind the car parked in front of the house. “Ness! Ness!” Dean said, looking for him. 

“Dean.” I said as I spotted the shed. It’s door was broken and the glass of the window shattered. No sign of Ness. So, we went up to the stairs to the house. Dean picked the lock and we snuck inside. 

The house was large and homey. Music was playing as there was also ticking of a large grandfather clock. We walked warily through the home, Dean ahead of me. Then I was knocked to the floor. 

Dean was tacked by Chronos, being thrown a few punches. “Ethan!” I turned and stood back up to see Ness holding onto Lila, a gun to her stomach. 

“Let’s talk.” He said. 

“Please don’t hurt her!” Chronos said as he let go of Dean. 

The blonde had tears run down her face. “Ethan, What’s happening?” 

Dean staggered up. “Yeah, _Ethan_. What the hell?” 

Chronos, or Ethan?, Just said to her, “Lila, I’m sorry, but, you just...everything I said to you is true-

“Oh, he might have left out a few details. He tell you he’s a monster who jumps through time?”

“Dean.” I said warning him, trying to keep him from hurting Lila with the truth and to keep him from spurring on Chronos’s anger. 

“I’m a god!” Chronos shouted at him, “look, I’m not a Monster. Listen. I’m the opposite.” 

“Well, don’t forget to tell her about all the people you murdered along the way, Boy Scout.” Ness said. 

“What?” Confusion and fear came off of her in waves. 

“It’s not like that. I do it for you, Lila.” Chronos said. 

Horror dawned over her. “I don’t understand.” 

“Well, he’s not as strong as he used to be. Ain’t that right, _Ethan_?” Dean asked. “Now, you got to suck people dry. Wild guess-it takes three kills to juice you up-“ 

“Sacrifices...Three sacrifices, and I can control when and where I land. But once I get there, it’s never for long before I’m tossed through time again. That’s my life, Lila. And all I want is to get back here.” He was just sad. Sad and angry, so very angry. 

“Because you just love the clean Canton air?” Ness asked. 

“Because I love her! Because I lived the worst existence you can imagine, and then I found you.” Sam flashed into my head. I swallowed and shook my thoughts away. 

“After you killed Tyler Crosby and Cathy Porter?” 

“And Charles Durbin?” I asked angrily. This man had killed so many and those were only the names we knew. 

“Lila here was gonna be victim number three. Am I right? Don’t act like you never killed a soul before you met her, pal. Something tells me you used to kill three saps just for a change of scenery.” 

“Yes, I did.” Chronos took a step towards Ness, Lila, and I. 

“Back down.” Ness warmed. 

“I-I used to wander, but now I have you.” 

“I knew Cathy. She used to come into the diner everyday.” She said with a wave of grief.

“Lila, please.” 

“You are a monster.” Dean then took out the stake.

“No, Lila please! 

I glanced at him before staring back at Chronos. He must have noticed, because when Dean came at him, Chronos turned and started a fight with Dean. Dean lost the stake as Chronos had him by the neck. I stood back as Ness shot at Chronos but it didn't do anything from trying to kill him. “Dean!” I shouted. 

Red light then begins to fill Chronos’s chest. I ran and grabbed at his arms, preparing for a jump. Dean did the same as Ness shouted, “Hey, Untouchables!l 

Ness threw the stake just in time for Dean to grab it before a red light engulfed us. In an instant we were in a new room and fell to the floor. I heard a woman shout Dean’s name as Chronos elbowed me in my face. 

He stands as I hear Sam shout, “Hey!” I start to stand as Chronos punches him. 

“No!” Chronos shouts at Dean and I. Red anger came in giant waves. “You! Destroyed everything!” 

“Hey, Chronos?!” Sam shouted. As the man turned, Sam stabbed him in the chest. “Was that the best you got?” Sam said with bite. 

Chronos knees gave way to the ground. Red light came from him weakly with each heartbeat. He looked up at Sam. “You want to know your future? I know your future.” 

Sam glanced at Dean. The god continued, “Its covered in thick black ooze.” I stared at Sam. “It’s everywhere. They’re everywhere.” He laughed darkly, anger and joy coming off him. “Enjoy oblivion.” 

He finally fell dead. 

…

The boys burned and buried the body in the back while, their friend Jody and I went out and got food. We brought back a bunch of burgers and fries. She was surprisingly very sweet and bought us all dinner. She was just happy to see Dean and I back to our proper time. 

We walked in and put the food on the table. Dean came from downstairs and was back in his flannel and jeans. “Aww, I’m gonna miss the suit.” I said jokingly as I pulled a chair up. 

“Yeah, yeah.” He sat on the cooler. “You keeping the skirt?” 

I rolled my eyes and sat down. “Maybe.” I was still in the skirt and shirt, having taken off the coat and suit jacket I had brought back unintentionally. Sam then came in with four glasses and a bottle wrapped in a piece of paper. “What’s that?” I asked. 

Nostalgia waved off him as he handed it to me. On it was a label. I immediately recognized the handwriting as Rufus’s. It read, “ _Fine, you ass. You win for once. R_.” 

“It was Bobby’s.” A pang of sadness came from Jody, and she fought tears as she said his name. I smiled. 

“So who wants to open it?” I asked. 

Dean grabbed it from me with a full mouth of fries. He opened it and poured it into the glasses Sam had found. Sam sat next to him on a crate that they must have found as well. 

We all had one, though Dean held his up for a toast. “To Eliot Ness.” 

“And Sam and Jody, for saving our asses.” I added. 

“And to Bobby.” Sam said. After a beat and a cheers, we drank and ate. Dean and I recounted what happened to us while in 1944 while Sam explained how they managed to summon Chronos. 

A few hours had flown by that night as we drank and talked. When the bottle was empty, to which Dean had drank most of and Jody very little, we all decided to call it a night. 

Jody decided to take off to her motel room. So we all walked her to the door and she gave both boys a hug. Then she turned to me, “It was great meeting you.” 

“You too Jody.” She gave me a quick hug and started out the door. “Take care of yourselves you hear me.” 

“Yes ma’am.” Dean said. After she was gone, Dean headed back up stairs. 

I turned to head up there myself, but Sam asked, “Hey? Can we talk?” 

I smiled. “Of course.” We sat back down at the table and Sam pulled something out of his back pocket. It was an aged piece of paper. He handed it to me and I opened it. It was the letter I had written earlier, well over sixty years earlier. 

“What did you mean by, ‘I wish we had more time.’?” He asked. Trepidation and hope rolled off him. He really wanted to know what I meant by those words. To be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure what I had meant by them.

“Honestly…” I looked away thinking about the right words. “After everything, you’ve become someone _important_ to me. And, I suppose I was sad that I had so little time with you.” 

I stared at him for a moment, wondering exactly what he was thinking. He stared back in thought, and I had a chill go down my back as his eyes bore into mine. He cleared his throat and we both looked away. “Thank you, for uh...clarifying.” 

I got up from the table leaving the letter. “Yeah. I’m gonna...go to bed. Early morning right?” 

“Yeah.” He said. 

I paused at the edge of the stairs. “And Sam?” 

“Mhh.” He said then looked up at me taking in my appearance. I felt a faint wave of curiosity from him. 

I smiled, “are you going to keep that promise.” 

He smiled back a breathtaking smile. “Yes. And by the way…” 

“What?” 

“You’re important to me too.” I smiled at Sam’s words and went up to bed. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Letting y’all know, skipping a few episodes for the next chapter. It will summarize things a bit and will involve some serious conversations, plus set up for Out With the Old.-Indigo


	9. Grave Yard Shift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So much crap has happened, and so much more to come. But now it’s story time with the Winchester’s over a long overnight drive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, I skipped a few episodes, they are not my most favorite of season seven and I wanted to get to more plot than anything, but I needed a filler chapter. Next one will come out in the next day or so with Out with the Old. This one is kinda fun thought cause I decided to write the boys coming clean to the reader. Plus I added a little action in the end so it’s not all dialogue I promise.-Indigo

“ _I would rather be hated for who I am than loved for who I am no_ t.”-Kurt Cobain 

  
  
  
  


The last two months had been hot with cases. Run ins with witches and real life Amazons had been keeping us on our toes. But the last case had me put off. A string of murders had the boys worried, the MO matching a demon they had sent back to hell years ago seemed to have emerged again. 

But all wasn't as it seemed. After figuring out that the man who had been possessed by said demon had been killing and trying to bring the demon back from hell, it had left both of the boys shaken up. I was as well, but with Sam’s current state, I couldn’t let myself tell them. I just tried to be as supportive as possible. 

The night before we left the Idaho town, Sam woke me up with what I thought was a nightmare. It wasn’t out of the blue for me to sense another’s fear from a dream, but this was different. This was trauma resurfacing in a way I had never seen. And it terrified me even. 

So I got up and tried calmed Sam down. I spoke to him and did all I could. Gave him some water and an ear to listen to. I even threw on my boots and a jacket and took a walk with him, trying to help clear his head. Not much seemed to work. We stayed up almost all night until I accidentally fell asleep on the couch. We left the motel Intending on heading back to Rufus’s cabin. 

Then we got a lead on the Leviathans. We got word from this fellow hunter who apparently had intel on Dick Roman. It was eight o’clock at night at a motel we had crashed at, and we just dropped everything. So now we were on the road heading to some random lake to meet this man who seemed to have something worth the damn drive. 

For once, Dean was letting me drive. Begrudgingly, but he already had half a bottle of whiskey down his throat. So he was dosing in Shotgun while Sam sat in the back. I was worried for him. He had been nothing but Waves of annoyance, frustration, and fear. And that nightmare had me worried. 

I had been asking him every time something seem to spook him if he was alright, and I would get the same thing. “I’m fine.” A lie. But I hadn’t called him out on it. _Yet_. 

The radio was playing some upbeat jazz, and I was zipping along in an old mustang. It was almost midnight, and we were the only ones on the two lane highway. As the quiet seemed to be the only constant for the moment, I let my guard down.

Staying in my own quiet thoughts I never saw it coming. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Goosebumps ran down my arms. The Fear and panic crashed at me like a tidal wave, right from Sam. I slammed my breaks screeching until a stop.

Dean woke up startled. “What the hell?!” He said. 

“What the hell happened?!” I asked Sam, completely turned around in my seat. 

“Nothing! Just drive.” Sam said with wide eyes. 

“Don’t you dare lie to me! What happened?” I said protectively. 

“What’s going on?” Dean asked. 

I huffed. “I was driving, doing just fine, then I felt a huge wave of fear come from Sam. I stopped so I wouldn’t crash, cause it freaked me out.”

“It was a nightmare.” Another lie from Sam. 

“No it wasn’t. I’m not stupid, Sam. You were wide awake. And you keep lying to me, saying your ‘fine’.” He looked away from me with a wave of shame. 

“Sam, just tell us what happened. Please.” Dean asked. 

After a moment of frustration and quiet from him, he said looking out to the field beside us, “It was Lucifer.” 

“What?” I asked. Dean had realization and his own frustration come off him. 

Dean then said, “come on. My turn to drive.” 

“What? No? I’m not moving until somebody starts talking. What about Satan?” 

“We’ll explain, but _you_ don’t want to be driving for it. _I_ don’t want you driving for it.” I huffed again and got out of the car. Dean and I switched places and we were on the road once more. 

I looked at them both expectantly for a moment. Dean’s focus was now on driving but he was wafting off anticipation. Sam only had shame and frustration. I sighed. “Sam...I know you don’t want to talk about this, but...I need to know. It’s eating at you. And you haven’t been the same since the last case. I want to help...please.” 

He sighed himself. “I don’t even know where to start.” 

“Okay...then from the beginning.” I wanted to reach back and grasp his hand. But I restrained myself. He kept holding his left hand, pressing on to the old wound there. 

“It all started when Jess died.” 

Dean had a wave of surprise. “She knows about Jess?” 

He nodded at him through the rear view mirror. “After that, we were trying to find our dad. We went all over, hunting, and we finally caught up to him. He had tracked down a gun that could kill a yellow eyed demon. The demon that killed Jess and our mom. And he eventually killed our dad. We kept hunting and kept looking for the damned thing. Bobby was helping us too. But the demon...he had plans for me.” 

I furrowed my brows as my stomach flipped. “Plans?” 

“He uh...the night he killed my mom, I was a baby. He...he fed me demon blood.” A wave of guilt and shame fell over him. “Because of the blood, I was getting visions. And we were finding kids like me who were getting Psychic abilities because of him.” He gave me a moment to let that part sink in. _He had abilities._ _Just like me_. Suddenly his understanding of me made so much more sense. 

“Then one day he vanished.” Dean said. 

“The Demon?” I asked. 

“No, I did.” Sam said, “He kidnapped me and put me in an abandoned town with others like me. Killed us off one by one like some sick game. They even killed me…” 

“But how are you alive?” I asked. 

“I did something stupid.” Dean said as shame came over him as well. I remembered what Becky told me. _Dean went to hell_. 

“You didn’t…” I said realizing that he made a demon deal. 

“I did.” 

“How long did you get?” 

“One year.” My eyebrows raised at that. 

There was a pause as Sam thought more about that time. “After I came back, we had to stop this demon. He...he made the guy that killed me open up a gate to hell.” 

“I heard about that. I was all the way up in Canada with my parents, and we heard about that.” It was the trip right before my parents died. 

He nodded. Dean had a wave of surprise, but stayed silent. “We closed it. And Dean killed the yellow eyed demon.” 

“And your psychic abilities?” I asked gently, wondering if he still had them. 

“Died along with him. But the opening of the gate just caused way more issues.” I listened intently. “We were trying to find a way to keep Dean from going to hell, and to stop this Demon. Lilith. She was working on something. Something big.” 

“What was it?” I asked. 

“Raising Lucifer.” I swallowed at that. More shame and anger came from him at the name. “We tried to kill her. Got close too. But...Dean got dragged to hell.” 

“No thanks to Ruby.” Dean grumbled and more shame and regret came from Sam. 

“Who’s Ruby?” I asked gently. 

“Biggest mistake of my life...she was a demon...she pretended to be on our side. Lied to us.” He thought for a moment on his next words anxiety creeping in now. “Got me addicted to demon blood.”

I stayed quiet and tried to keep from looking shocked. Dean, however, interjected, “it wasn’t your fault Sam. She was a manipulative little bitch that got what was coming to her.” 

“Yeah, after it was too late.” 

“Just focus on the story Sam.” I said, “What happened?” 

“Dean was resurrected...by an Angel named Castiel.” As Sam said the name, a wave of frustration came from Dean. 

“Castiel?” 

Dean nodded. “Got me out.” 

“Cas was an Angel?” 

“Yeah, but they're not all...harps and halos and good.” Sam said. 

“Majority of them are Dicks.” Dean said bluntly. 

I chuckled. “Okay, why did they save you?” I asked directly. “I mean your not the most...bible abiding person.” Dean smirked a little at that. 

“It’s complicated. But I’ll get to it.” Sam said. This had been the most engaged I had seen him in a while. I was just happy to see him return to some normalcy. “Dean came back, and we were told that Lilith was trying to raise Lucifer. She had to break sixty six seals. We were trying to stop her. But..we didn’t know that Ruby was training me, using me. She manipulated me into breaking a seal, _the_ seal. She made me think that killing Lilith would stop him, but…it set him free.” 

It dawned on me as I felt Sam’s shame again. “The angels...wouldn’t they have tried to stop it?” I asked. 

“They let it happen.” 

“What? Why? It would have been...catastrophic in the actual biblical sense.” Suddenly I felt betrayed, I didn’t know why, but I did. _Angels are dicks. Great_. 

“That was the idea, they wanted the apocalypse to start.” Dean said. 

“So what did you do?” I asked. 

“We fought it.” Sam said. 

Dean had a sudden surge of pride. “Not only did we fight it, we kicked its ass.” Sam and I both chuckled. 

“But how?” I asked. “I mean, angels and demons, and the actually devil? It sounds insane.” 

They both got quiet thinking about what they wanted to say. Then Dean said, “...basically, if an Angel wants to be on earth...they have to be in a human vessel. Not just any meat suit like a Demon, a human one of a certain bloodline. _And_ their consent.” 

“Bloodline?” I asked. 

Dean cleared his throat. “Basically, I’m a vessel for the Archangel Micheal. The one that sent Lucifer to a cage in Hell in the first place.” 

“That’s why they saved you. They wanted Micheal to walk the earth.” Dean had a wave of discomfort and guilt at the idea. “And...Lucifer?” I asked in a quiet voice. 

Sam looked away. “Me.” 

“But you said no. Stopped them from walking the earth, no vessels, no apocalypse. Right?” 

“That’s what we did for a while, but...it wasn’t working. As Lucifer was on earth, he found a temporary one. And let out the four horsemen of the apocalypse.” 

I raised my eyebrows at that. “Seriously? Colored horses and everything?” 

“Cars, but the idea is there.” Dean said. 

“So what happened?” 

“See they get their power from four rings, one for each of them. So we tracked them down and stole them.” Sam said. 

I smiled, “Did you take them to Mordor?” 

They both chuckled at that. “No. But Dean talked to Death.” 

My eyes widened as I looked at him. “Death?” 

“Yep. Found him in a pizza shop in Chicago. He’s actually a real foodie.” Dean said. 

“The horseman of death eats?” 

He chuckled again. “Yeah, and he told me what to do. Showed me how to open a gate to the cage.” 

I looked at Sam. “So you could throw him back in. 

He sighed, and any positive emotion he had at the moment was gone. “We needed a way to put him in the cage. So...I said yes.” 

And there it was. The biggest thing he was scarred from. The one thing he was still struggling with, “Lucifer possessed you?” 

He nodded. “He had me for a while, and I fought him every second. I was...I was trapped in my own body. I had to watch him do terrible things with my own hands…” 

“It sounds like hell on earth.” I said candidly, trying to truly understand what he went through, to understand Sam’s trauma and pain. 

“Worse.” The pit in my stomach returned. “Micheal then found a way down. Instead of Dean, he used our half brother.” 

“Adam.” Dean said with waves of guilt. “He was a good kid.” 

“Alright...so Micheal and Lucifer had vessels...what happened? The apocalypse certainly didn’t.” 

“Team Free Will happened.” Dean said with a smile. Sam smirked a little. 

“Dean showed up to the fight. Castiel and Bobby helped us get Micheal away long enough for me to finally take control back. We put Lucifer back in the cage. Micheal fell too.” 

“You guys saved the world.” I looked at them both. Suddenly I was proud, but I was still trying to wrap my head around it. There was quiet again in the car as I thought about it. “So...if they were possessing you and Adam, that means you both went into the cage with them.” 

Sam only nodded. All I felt from him was pain. It was clear he was still dealing with the trauma of it. I made me want to get closer to him and give him as much comfort as I could. Dean then continued. “Not long after...Castiel got him out. Just Sam.” 

“But not all of me…” Sam said grimly. 

“What do you mean? I get that it would have changed you, but I have the feeling your talking in a more literal sense.” 

“My soul was left in the cage...so I walked around without it for a year and a half.” 

“Holy shit.” I said. Dean then laughed and I rolled my eyes. “Pun most definitely _not_ intended Dean.” 

Sam smirked. “Dean made a deal with Death and got me my soul back, but…” 

“Sam’s soul was basically Lucifer’s punching bag for a while. Death shielded him from it in his own head.” Dean said. 

“He put up a wall to block my memories of the cage and my time without a soul. It didn’t last long.” 

“What happened to it?” 

“Cas happened.” Dean said with shame coming off him. 

“Castiel? I thought he was your friend.” 

“He was but...after Micheal and Lucifer’s showdown, I left hunting for about a year.” Dean smiled a bit. Nostalgia and joy came in a small wave. “I had a family for a while. An apple pie life, but…” 

“I dragged him back into it.” Sam said. 

“No, the life did.” 

“I did it Dean and you know it.” 

“Okay. Okay.” I said. “Castiel?” 

“Heaven was in shambles after Micheal went into the cage. See God left the building a long time ago.” Dean said. 

My jaw went slack. “God...God’s real, and he just left?” 

“Yeah.” Sam simply replied. 

“What a dick.” I said dryly. 

Which earned a laugh from them both. “So they all needed a new sheriff.” Dean explained, “Castiel basically started an Angel civil war against the Archangel Raphael.” 

“Where was Gabriel in all of this?” I thought outloud. 

Regret came from both of them, “He left when God did. Came to Earth and became-“ 

“Became a trickster. I know...I knew him.” I told them. 

Surprise came from him and Dean. “You knew the trickster?” Dean asked. 

I nodded. “Since we’re sharing personal stories...I was in a car crash years ago. I was...I was twenty. My parents didn’t make it. I almost died too...but someone found me. Gabe pulled me out the wreckage, he healed me and took me to the nearest hospital.” 

“Gabriel did that?” Sam asked. 

“Yes. He saved my life. I didn’t learn he was an Angel until about a year later. I found him running around messing with a small town. All sorts of crazy things. I recognized him when I finally found him. He recognized me too.” I smiled. “We became friends. Pen pals if you will. He wrote me so many letters about his adventures. I told him about hunting. The reason I ask about him is that...I know he died a few years back, I just...I just wanted to know if you knew what happened to him?” 

Sam nodded. “We do. When Lucifer was running around, he eventually caught up with a bunch of minor Gods. Gabriel was there, posing as the Trickster, and stood up to Lucifer. He died saving us.” 

I smiled sadly at that. “Sounds like something he would do.” 

“Really?” Dean asked. 

“Yes...it’s was in his nature. He pretended to not care, but deep down he did. He was actually a pretty good friend. So...the Angel war?” 

“Cas was losing...so he made a Deal with the new king of hell.” Anger rolled off of Dean as we all thought about Crowley. “They started looking for a way to open up Purgatory.”

“Purgatory? As in Dante?” I asked. 

“Vaguely yeah. It’s where monsters go after they die.” Sam explained. “Cas was looking for access to all of the souls for power. To beat Raphael.” 

“What did you guys do about it?” 

“We had to stop him. But...he was so determined to win…” 

“He broke the wall in Sam’s head.” Dean finally said. Guilt, anger, sadness, and pain filled the car from them both. 

“And eventually sucked in all of those souls. Became the new God or whatever.” Sam explained after a few moments of quiet. 

“So last summer. When people were saying that God was walking the earth...they weren’t buckets of crazy?” I chuckled a little as I asked. 

Sam smiled a little and shook his head. “Ever since then, I’ve been dealing with...hallucinations. Specifically memories from Hell.” 

“And Lucifer.” I said. 

Sam nodded. “He...uh...scared the hell out of me earlier. I kind of...I kind of forgot about your abilities. I’m Sorry.” 

“Don’t be sorry about that. It’s not your fault. It’s not _anyone’s_ fault.” I emphasized for Dean, knowing full well he blames himself on these things. “So it’s gotten pretty bad the last week or so?” 

He nodded. “Yeah. I’m trying to handle it.” 

There was quiet again as we went down the road. They had both been to Hell and back, literally. And I wasn’t sure what else to say. Everything was out in the open between all three of us now. It was clear they didn’t talk about all of this to just anyone. After a while, my eyes started to drift towards sleep. By the time we finished talking, it was almost one in the morning, and we still had a few hours before hitting the lake. 

…

I woke up and dawn was breaking. Dean had parked the car, and I became conscious at the sudden cease of the engine. Dean was still wafting off worry and anxiety while Sam just had exhaustion and frustration. We all quietly got out of the car. 

We parked at a spot on the lake by the water with an open grassy area as the sun was rising. The brothers and I went to the back of the car as Dean opened up the trunk where we had stashed our weapons and crap. I rubbed my face a little and sat on the lip of the trunk. 

“So how do you know this guy?” I asked. 

Waves of tiredness came from both of them again as Dean said, “he was a friend of our dad’s.” 

Soon enough, another car drove into the lookout. I breathed in a little, my own anxiety coming up as a man got out of his car with a smile. “Hey boys.” He said. He was probably in his fifties and on the pudgy side but had a decent smile. 

“Hey Darrin.” Sam said politely. He introduced me as well while I stared at the newcomer. Something was off about him, the waves of hunger and anticipation made me uneasy. 

Dean just wanted to get down to business. “So what do you know about Dick Roman?” 

“Well, he’s definitely one of those big mouthed things, I’ll tell you that.” Darrin replied. 

I furrowed my eyebrows at him. “Tell us something we don’t know.” I uncrossed my arms and casually let them drop to my sides, letting my hand grasp at the handle of the sword, hidden under the tarp we used to hide the Arsenal. Something told me he wasn’t a hunter. After a beat from my last words, I said, “anything about them in Poughkeepsie?” 

Waves of panic came from both of them as they stayed cool. We all knew what that word meant: get out and run. The man wasn’t phased. “No, but he has several of his goons working along the west coast. Different operations posing as various civilians and the like. I heard that they are working on something.” 

“Like what?” Dean asked. 

“Something big.” He smiled wickedly, “doubt you’ll find out.” 

Dean and Sam both drew their guns at him as his faced formed into a giant, toothy mouth. I took my sword out and sliced his head off swiftly. Once the head was on the ground I kicked it away from the body despite getting some of the black goo on my face. 

I grimaced as I looked back at the boys. They had both put their guns away, and Dean tossed me a rag. “Good catch. How’d you know?” Dean asked. 

“Something was really off about him. And the way he talked...it didn’t sound like a hunter to me. It was hunch.” 

“Hell of a hunch.” Sam said as he went to the head of the body, he picked it up by the hair and said, “What should we do with him?” 

Dean looked to the water as I wiped off the goo on my sword, “Toss the body in and bury the head somewhere?” 

“I hate leviathans.” I said with a huff. They just chuckled a little as a response then we got to work to disposing of the body. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be out in the next day or so! I promise. :)- Indigo


	10. Out with the Old

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still worried about Sam, we get a new case involving cursed objects and we seem to have bitten off more than we expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised new chapter!

“ _In my heart there was a kind of fighting that would not let me sleep_.”- _Hamlet_ , William Shakespeare 

  
  
  
  


It was cold out by the icy Oregon lake in the early morning. We were just past the border, the run in with the Levi was still in all of our minds from the day before. I wrapped myself tighter in my knitted scarf and peacoat. The weather was a stark contrast from twenty four hours before. Sam and I had gotten coffee for the two of us as Dean was talking to Frank on the phone for an update on the Leviathan situation. Then Sam handed me a newspaper. 

“A ballet dancer?” I asked him while shivering in the cold. 

“It looks like she danced his feet off, literally.” 

“Woah.” I smiled at the possibility of a new case. “Let’s go see what Dean thinks.” I handed it back to him, and we walked closer to Dean as he’s finishing his phone call with Frank. 

“He’s a crazy son of a bitch.” Dean remarked with a wave of frustration. 

“Frank?” Sam asked. 

“You know, having a cranky, total paranoid as your go-to guy-that’s-it’s...I don’t know what it is.” Then Dean noticed the cup in Sam’s hand. “What are you going for, like the Guinness record of caffeine consumption? That’s like your fifth this morning?” 

I looked up at the younger Winchester, I hadn’t realized that he already had so much. “That’s a lot, Sam.” I said. 

“Yeah, well, every time I close my eyes, Lucifer is yelling into my head. It’s like I let him in once, now I can’t get rid of him.” 

Dean then said, “You know he’s not actually…” 

“Yeah, yeah, no. I know, uh, try telling that to the volume control in my brain.” 

“Well, did you try the hand thing?” 

“Yeah. Anyway, long as I’m awake, check it out.” Sam handed him the paper. “They’re saying drugs, but read between the lines, sounds like she danced her own feet off. Might be our kind of thing.” 

“Dancers,” Dean said with a bit of a smile and a wave of amusement. “They are toe shoes full of crazy.” 

“And you would know this how?” I asked taking a sip of coffee. 

“I saw _Black Swan_. Twice.” Sam and I just looked at him. “Hot tutu-on-tutu action? Come on, Sam. What’s wrong with you?” I rolled my eyes as I chuckled at him. 

“Wow. The depths of your...Anyway, it’s in Portland, a couple hours away. What do you think?” Sam asked him. 

“Yeah, dancers. Why not? Maybe you’ll get some sleep on the way.” Dean said as he walked towards the car. 

“Yeah, maybe.” 

“Uh, un” I said as I blocked him from getting in the front seat. “Get in the back.” 

“What? Why?” Sam asked me. 

“It will be easier for you to actually get some sleep back there.” He tried to give me a bitch face, to which I said, “oh go, you stubborn ass.” 

His face brightened to a smile. “Fine.” Dean chuckled as well as I settled into the car with the heater blasting. 

…

  
  


That afternoon, we got to Portland and Sam hadn’t slept a wink. Despite mine and Dean’s worry, we had a job to do. We stopped and switched into our Fed threads, though I happily added more layers to it with my pea coat due to there still being snow on the ground. We investigated the dance studio and found squat. 

We all walked into the police station a little defeated. “So, the usual-no EMF, no sulfur, no hex junk.” Sam said. 

“If there’s no more dancers to interview on this trip, it could be a bust. Although I hear they have good coffee in Portland.” Dean mused. 

“Dude, that’s Seattle.” Sam corrected a little flustered p, 

I sighed. “Let’s just get the drill over with guys.” Sam waved at the Officer handing the desk, who was speaking to another officer, getting his attention. 

“Hi,” Sam said when we got up to the desk. 

“Yeah?” 

“Uhm we’d like to see the crime-scene photos from the Irina Koganzon case, please.” 

“And you would be…” he started. Annoyance rolled off of Dean at the officer’s smugness.

“Oh,” I heard Dean say as all three of us pulled out our FBI badges. 

The smug look on the officer disappeared as he said, “Give me a minute.” 

“Take your time.” He walked off. 

“What if it’s a cursed object?” I asked. 

“Why do you think that?” Dean asked me. 

I shrugged. “Something we haven’t taken off the list yet.” 

“I doubt it.” 

“Why don’t we take a look at evidence then and rule it out.” 

He rolled his eyes at me. “Sure ESP.” 

I scoffed. “Okay...ten bucks says it is.” 

He smirked and the Officer returned with the case file. “You're on.” 

I smiled as the file was handed to me. “Thanks.” I opened it and we all huddled around the papers. “Woah.” I said as I saw a picture of the dancer with her feet clearly broken and splattered off. And the ballet shoes neatly placed next to her. Not a drop of blood on them. 

“Yeah, I’d call that weird.” Dean said. Then we went off to the evidence locker. 

We showed our badges to the officer. “Hey there. How you doing.” Sam greeted. 

“Okay. What can I do for you fellas?” The officer asked. 

“Well, we need to see the shoes that were involved in the ballet dancer’s death.” 

“Didn’t figure that would be an FBI deal. But sure. Yeah, right here.” He turned towards the table behind him. Frustration rolled off him. “Damn it, Tracy.” 

“Who’s Tracy?” I asked. 

“My daughter. She loves Ballet.” 

“Did she say where she was going?” I said, trying to keep calm. 

“Ladies room.” 

“You know what, we’ll go track her down for you. You stay here and keep working.” I said with a smile. 

The officer nodded and gave us direction. We tried to stay as calm as possible. Somehow I think all three of us knew that those shoes were dangerous. 

I walked in first, not letting the boys in the women’s room, just to see a young girl. “Hey, those shoes-“ I said. The girl was pulled to her feet as Sam and Dean followed me in. She was on point as it made her start spinning. Fear coming off her. “Guys!” I said running to stop her uncontrollable dancing. 

“Dean get the shoes!” Sam shouted as he rushed to help. 

“I’m trying!” Dean said. As he tried to grab the girl’s feet the shoes made her kick him. 

“Sorry!” I held onto her shoulders and head, trying my best to keep her from hitting her head in the shoes thrashing as Sam held her middle. The shoes made her keep dancing as Dean got one shoe off. 

“Come on Dean!” I said. 

“I’m trying!” She kicked him in the head again. 

“Sorry!” 

Soon she stopped as Dean got the other shoe off. “I got it. I got it.” 

Tracy sat up in Sam’s arms as he said, “Okay! I’m going with cursed object.” 

“You think?” Dean said breathlessly. 

“You okay sweetie?” I asked the girl. She nodded. 

I got her back to her Dad okay and said that she didn’t have the shoes, while the boys snuck out with them by using a pen to carry them. I met them up in the parking lot. Sam had found a label on them for a shop called, Out with the Old. I got in the backseat of the car and we drove off straight to the store. 

“You owe ten bucks by the way.” I said cheerily when we parked in front of the place. 

Dean grumbled and annoyance rolled off him. Pulled out his wallet, and gave me two five dollar bills. He then asked. “Hey. Didn’t we put those in the trunk?” 

I looked over next to me to see the shoes and panic filled the car in waves. Sam looked over and asked, “H-how did they-“ 

“Cursed object, Sam.” Dean said. 

“Do they…” I said as I looked at them. “Look like they’re...your size?” 

“Shut up.” 

“Wait, a-are you-“ Sam started. 

“Getting the strong urge to _Prince Siegfried_ myself into oblivion? _Yes_.” 

“You really did see Black Swan.” Sam said. We got out of the car and Sam got the shoes. We walked into the antique shop in a bit of a panic. “Hello?” Sam said to a man mopping the wooden floor. “Hey, did you sell these?” He had frustration roll right off him and it was clear in his voice. 

“Uh, yeah?” 

“Where did you get them?” I asked urgently. 

“Uh, m-my m-mother had them in that box.” He gestured towards a wooden box. I walked right up to it and examined the symbols carved onto the lid. Sam had out the shoes down and followed behind me quickly. “I don’t understand. What’s happening?” 

Sam grabbed the box and showed it to the man, “this, in here?” Then we both noticed Dean holding the shoes, completely transfixed to them. “Hey! Hey, hey, hey!” Sam grabbed them from him and put them in the box, “Geez! You okay there, _Baryshnikov_?” 

Dean seemed to snap out of the state as soon as the box was closed. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m ‘ _pas de done_.’ With a smile.

I sighed. “Thank god.” 

“Okay, if it’s not too much trouble, do you mind me telling me, uh, what’s-what’s going on?” The man asked, panic and confusion rolling off him now. 

All three of us pulled out our badges. “What’s your name?” I asked him. 

“Uh, Scott-uh, Scott Freeman.” 

“You said these were your mother’s? Where’d she get them?” Sam asked. 

“I don’t know. I found them in the back.” 

“I got it.” Dean said as he walked off. 

“Now, where is your mother?” I asked. 

A wave of grief came over him. “Well, she’s, uh...She passed away last week.” 

I frowned and gave Sam a look. “I’m sorry to hear that.” He said. “Scott, listen. These shoes…” 

“Just some personal stuff she collected. I’m trying to get rid of it all.” 

“All?” I asked with raised eyebrows. 

“Is there more like this?” Sam asked.

“Sam.” Dean then walked in the room with a wave of panic. He was holding empty curse boxes. 

“Oh Crap.” I said. 

Sam had a wave of impatience come off him as he said, “Scott. What was in those boxes?” 

Dean walked over. “Okay, What the hell kind of FBI guys are you?” Scott asked. 

“The kind that are trying to fix the mess you started.” Dean said, annoyance rolling off him. As he held up the boxes. “Now where’d your mom get these?” 

“I don’t know. I found them in her safe.” He gestured over to a safe that had markings all over the inside. Symbols that I assumed were to keep the curse objects under control. 

“Did it ever occur to you that these things might be locked in that safe for a reason?” Sam asked. His frustration and exhaustion were in continuous waves. 

“Sam.” I said gently. 

Scott just said defensively. “No, I-I just thought it was some of the junk that she had collected over the years. Like, I knew she was into some weird stuff, but I never thought that she would be, like-“ 

“Yeah, well, think again, okay?” Dean said. “Cause this junk is killing people.” 

Confusion came over him. “What? Like, how can that be?” 

“Just trust us. Okay?” I said. 

“Look, Scott.” Sam said, “We’re gonna need to know exactly what you sold out of that safe, and the names and addresses of who you sold it to.” 

…

We got a list from Scott and headed straight to a neighborhood. We pulled up in front of a house of a middle aged woman. We got out of the car and walked up to her front door. “Alright, What do we got?” Dean asked. 

“She bought a tea kettle.” Sam informed him. 

“Tea Kettle?” I asked wondering how the kitchen item could kill a person. 

“Yeah.” Sam said, “hey, with enough curse mojo, you can turn a freaking pencil into a weapon of mass destruction.” 

“Goodtimes.” Dean said lightly. We knocked on the door but no one answered, when Dean tried the door, it was unlocked. 

We headed in quietly to find a woman’s body. Her face and chest were clearly badly burned. “Oh crap.” I said as Dean found some rubber gloves and wrapped the handle of the discarded tea kettle. 

He picked it up and said, “Better call this in.” 

Sam proceeded to call, “Hello, yeah. I’d like to report an accident at twenty three Gorham Road...my name? Uh...Bruce Hornsby.” He hung up and we headed out to the car. 

“Alright. Who’s next on the list?” Dean asked. 

Sam took out a notebook and said, “We got a, uh, gramophone sold to Brenda Gluck, four-thirteen River Street, and a vintage gentleman's magazine sold to Peter Yankit, twenty seven Johnson Lane.” 

I furrowed my eyebrows. Dean asked, “really?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Alright. We better split up, cover more ground before someone else gets hurt.” I said. 

“Yeah, why don’t you two take that gramophone? I’ll handle the old rag.” 

I chuckled a little. Sam just said, “I wouldn’t really handle it if I were you. Remember those shoes?” 

“Yeah how could I forget?” Dean out the kettle in the backseat of the car. “You know, I wonder how old porn kills you.” 

I shook my head. “Pretty sure you don’t want to know.” Sam got the rubber gloves from Dean. 

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Alright. Let’s do this.” Dean got in the car. 

“Yep.” Sam said as we started walking in the direction of Brenda Gluck. 

As we made our way down the street, I said, “god I hate the cold.” 

Sam chuckled a little as I stuck my hands in my pockets trying to warm them. We found the house and walked up the steps, as we were about to open the door, I felt a wave of fear and panic from inside. 

“Sam! It’s happening.” His eyes widened and he bursts through the door. A boy is holding a knife about to strike his mother. Sam grabs the boy’s arm as the woman screams. 

“Where’s the gramophone?” Sam asked as he disarms the boy. 

The woman points to it on the table. Sam threw on his gloves to take care of it. “You guys okay?” I asked. 

“Hey, that’s mine.” The boy said as Sam went for the object. 

Sam turned around with a wave of frustration. “Kid, this would be a really good time for a lesson in gratitude. Lucky for you, I’m too tired.” 

The mother looked at me a little shock. “He’s really uh...tired. Cranky. But uh...why don’t you go in the kitchen and we’ll take care of the object.” 

“Who are you people?” She asked. 

I pulled out my badge. “I’m sorry ma’am. We’ll be taking the gramophone off your hands. It’s an incredibly dangerous and rare object.” I had to think on my feet. “It sends out strange sound waves that can cause violent tendencies. Your lucky we got here in time.” She nodded and turned and took her son out of the room. Her waves of panic subsiding and calming came over. 

Sam’s phone then went off. He put it to his ear and I leaned close to listen. “Hey.” 

“Hey, got the porn. Just in time, too.” 

I frowned, my mind going straight to the gutter. “What was he doing?” Sam asked anyways. 

“Uh, like you guys said, you don’t want to know. Where you at?” 

“Just got the gramophone. I’m across town. We’ll head your way.” He hung up before I could protest. 

“You couldn’t tell him to pick us up?” I asked not too happy about walking in the cold again. 

A wave of realization. “Sorry.” 

…

After getting the cursed objects back to the safe, Sam and I found a pickup truck. We promised Scott to take the safe out of town. Sam was driving with loud rock music playing while I was drifting in and out of sleep. Then his phone rang again, turned off the music, and he answered it on speaker. “Hey, What’s up? We’re on our way.” I opened my eyes and tried to pay attention. 

“Yeah, not sure we’re taking the safe out of town just yet...Um, so, it turns out that mama hoarder didn’t just die and leave the store to Scott.” 

“She didn’t?” I asked. 

“No, listen to this. The lady spends forty years trying to keep that place right? Then one day she wakes up and sells. Next day, drives her car off a cliff.” 

“So, uh…” Sam yawned. “What, you think somebody cut her brakes or something?” 

“No, I think the world is full of hilarious coincidences.” Dean said dryly, “Oh, and there’s this new company-never even tasted real estate, just gobbled up a huge chunk of Main Street. Now, I could be off the deep end here, but doesn’t that seem weird to you?” 

Sam didn’t respond initially. “Sam?” I said. 

“Sam? Sam?” Dean said. 

“Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Sounds good. Keep me posted.” He said. 

“Sounds good? Are you alright?” Dean asked. 

“Should I be driving?” I asked. 

He shook his head, “You know they say that, uh, sleep deprivation is an ‘enhanced interrogation technique?’” 

“Yeah?” 

“Trust me it’s torture.” Sam hung up. 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive?” I asked again. 

“I’m fine.” 

“Liar.” I said as I crossed my arms. He chuckled a little and turned up the radio. I started to dose again as he turned the music back on. Still I was worried. 

I was right to worry as I looked up and saw headlights. “Sam!” I screamed. He woke up and narrowly got us back on our lane and breaked. Fear and shock wafted off him. “Jesus F-ing Christ.” I said with a raised voice. 

“You okay?” Sam asked. 

“Yeah.” I pulled off my seat belt. “And I’m driving.” We switched seats and I drove the rest of the way to town. 

Once we got there, Sam insisted on getting some coffee, so we stopped at a coffee stand that was still open. We were waiting in line as the man in front of us was getting a complicated order, clearly for his boss by the waves of panic coming from him. 

“Are you sure your okay?” I asked him. 

“Yeah.” He shook his head. “I’ll try to sleep tonight I promise.” 

“You better.” We went up and I ordered “Chai latte please.” 

“And can I get a, uhm a-a triple red-eye, please?” 

“It’s your funeral.” The barista said. I chuckled as Sam paid for our drinks. After that, we went to the antique shop to drop off the gramophone. Then we left to rent a Uhaul. 

…

We pulled up to the cafe Dean was set up at and walked inside. Dean just hung up on the phone as we sat down. “So?” Sam asked. 

“Well, that’ll work.” Dean said, commenting on the Uhaul we could see through the window. Frustration was rolling off him. 

“Uh, how’s it going?” I asked. “You don’t seem to happy.” 

“I just got off the phone with Frank. Apparently, we have a bit of a Leviathan issue in this town.” 

“Leviathans, here?” Sam asked. 

Dean nodded. I sighed and said. “Great.”

“Yeah. We’re looking at a big, old giant nesting doll of Dick, as far as property sales go.” 

Sam looked away from Dean and sighed. All I could feel from him now was exhaustion. “Sam?” I said. 

“Hey, you hearing me?” Dean asked. 

“Yeah.” He leaned forward on the table and rubbed his face. “Yeah. I’m sorry.” 

“Yeah I know. We almost crashed on the way back.” I told Dean. 

“What?” 

“I fell asleep behind the wheel. We’re okay.” Sam said defensively. 

“Okay, you know what?” Dean gave another wave of frustration. “Enough with the insomniac crap. Alright, Pacino? You need to crash. I’ll keep working. You find a motel and get some sleep. Okay?” 

“It doesn’t matter what I do, Dean. Lucifer will not shut up.” Sam said. 

I furrowed my eyebrows. “Even now?” Dean asked. 

“He’s singing Stairway to Heaven right now.” 

“Good song.” 

“Not fifty times in a row.” He said dryly. 

I shook my head. “Geez. You can’t run on no sleep, Sam.” 

“I know.” He said, then his phone rang. “Hey. Scott.” Sam listened, “What’s happening?...Alright, hold tight. Uh, we’re on our way.” He hung up and we started to get out of there. 

“Let me guess. He touched something he was not supposed to.” Dean said as he slapped down some bills on the table. 

“Course he did.” Sam said. I just sighed and headed out. 

…

We pulled over in front of the shop. We walked in, expecting Scott and something to do with a cursed mirror. Instead we found the real estate woman whose face was plastered all over the town, her assistant, and Scott duct taped to a chair. “So much for the cursed mirror.” I muttered. 

The woman then began to speak. “Sam and Dean. And their little friend.” She walked towards us. “It is such a pleasure to make your acquaintances. Now, just so you can put names to the faces that’ll be eating you, I’m Joyce, and this is my assistant, George.” 

George moved forward as well, he had anger and frustration come off him. Both were in matching red blazers. “So you’re the lady on the real-estate signs.” I said, 

“Yes.” She said with excitement and pure calm coming off her. “You like my photo?” She asked as she imitated the smile she used for the picture. 

“Oh, you might want to lay off the whitening strips.” Dean said. 

She laughed. “Oh, Dean. I am gonna enjoy picking you out of my teeth.” Her face transformed into a toothy mouth and she lunged at Dean. George pushed me at the wall and threw Sam over a desk. I staggered up and focused on getting to Scott. 

I heard George screaming as Sam was fighting him with cleaning supplies. Then Sam yelled, “the sword! The sword!” 

I smirked as I saw one encased in glass. I ran to it and broke the glass with a candle holder as Dean was thrown into the glass doors of the shop. I grab the handle and ran up behind Joyce. With one quick move, her head was sliced from her neck. I breathed hard as he body crumbled to the floor. 

“Uh, thanks.” Dean said as I kicked her head away from her body. 

I kept an eye on George while Sam and Dean untied Scott, keeping a firm hand on the handle of the sword. Dean then found an old carpet bag to pick up Joyce’s severed head. While he spoke with Scott. 

“Okay, I get that these things mean business, you know, but I can’t just, like, uproot my life.” 

“Sure you can. It’s not as hard as you think.” Dean said he said as he stuck the head in the safe. 

“Look, Scott. These big mouths don’t like to leave loose ends.” Sam explained as they walked closer to us. Sam stood protectively next to me as we kept watch on the single leviathan. 

“So don’t you look back till you get someplace where you don’t speak the language.” Dean told him. 

“Alright, I’m going. Thank you, I guess.” 

“Don’t mention it.” Sam said to him as he left the shop. Then he turned to George and we moved closer. “One minute. That’s how long you have to explain to us why you helped us.” 

“Because I am dying to know what that bitch tastes like.” My eyebrows raised at that. He rolled off waves of excitement and satisfaction. 

“Wait, let me get this straight.” Dean said. “You want to eat your boss?” 

“You got a better way to make her stay dead?” He asked. 

I smirked. “Seriously?” 

“So, What? So now you’re-youre on our side or something?” Sam asked. 

“Yeah. No.” He took the blazer off. “But if Joyce is alive, then I spend the rest of my life cleaning her messes. Or worse, I get eaten. Or bibbed.” He shuddered. “So, thanks...for chopping her head off for me. Taking her on solo-yikes. So, really, thanks for the assist there. And, of course,” he said specifically to Dean, “you’re welcome...for saving you...before she ripped into your ass like a Christmas present.” He winked and looked back at Sam and I. “Win-win, right? So how ‘bout that head?” 

We all glanced at each other before Dean said. “Yeah, not gonna happen, Georgie.” 

I held the sword to his throat. “I wouldn’t make any sudden moves if I were you.” I said to him. 

“Now...what the hell is Dick Roman building in Wisconsin?” Dean asked. 

George had a wave of fear come off him. “I don’t know. I barely know where Wisconsin is. I’m a West-coast representative.” 

Sam then asked angrily. “You gonna keep killing people who don’t sign on the dotted line?” 

“Alright, take it easy.” He said, then moved the sword a little bit away. Then he licked his fingers from where the leftover goo was. “Mmm. Killing people isn’t part of the agenda.” I slowly lowered my sword. “Joyce just kept getting impatient. You-you got nothing to worry about with me. Don’t you get it? You guys are freaking out about the wrong thing.” 

Dean glanced at me, silently asking if he was telling the truth. I nodded yes. “Oh, you think?” He asked. 

“A couple of real-estate deals? Come on, big picture, guys, you-you think it’s just here? It’s everywhere. And it’s a lot more ambitious than this little project. My advice...keep your heads down and stay down.” He said with a smile and putting his hands in his pockets. 

“Listen to me, you gooey son of a bitch.” That wiped the smile off of his face. “You’re gonna tell us what you’re building here, or I’m gonna wash your mouth out with soap.” Dean said pointing to the bucket of bleach. 

“Hmm.” He said. “I was hoping we could play nice. But if you must know...it’s going to be a research center.” 

“Research for what?” I asked. 

“Disease. This, lady and gentlemen, is where we are going to cure cancer.” 

Confusion rolled over all of us. “Wait. That doesn’t make any sense. I mean, why would Dick a Roman want to cure cancer?” Sam asked. 

George then said smugly, “Cause we’re only here to help.” 

I glanced at the brothers and then sighed. “Go eat her, and get out of my sight before I change my mind on letting you live.” He smiled and walked over to the body. 

…

After daylight broke, we got the safe into the haul. Dean was closing it up when he said, “Monsters cure cancer. A sentence I never thought I’d say. Why does it make me so nervous?” 

“Yeah, I hear you. So, what do we do now?” Sam asked. 

“You are gonna sleep on it-all the way to Frank’s. Capiche?” Dean said. 

I nodded agreeing, unfortunately, Sam said, “I wish I could.” 

“Did you get any sleep last night?” I asked him. 

“Yeah, yeah, a little, I-I don’t know.” 

“Well, we’ll find you a soft-rock station. Always knocks you right out.” Dean said as we got in the car. Dean sat in the driver's seat while I sat between him and Sam. It was cozy to say the least, but I didn’t mind much, the heating was crap in the old truck. And I didn’t mind being close to Sam. 

That night, we got to Frank’s latest location. It was pouring out when we pulled up right next to the RV, music playing inside. 

We got out and went to the door. “Hey, Frank!” Dean shouted. He pounded on the door. “Devereaux!” He pounded again as I wrapped myself in my arms, my hair getting drenched in the rain. I looked for any waves from inside, but there was nothing. “What the hell is he doing in there?” 

“Dean, something’s wrong.” I said shivering. 

He knocked again and shouted, “Frank! Don’t shoot! We’re coming in!” 

Dean and Sam went ahead of me into the RV. It was trashed. Computer screens were smashed, there was broken glass and blood on the floor and walls. Papers and pictures that were once on the walls were ripped to shreds. And there was no sign of life. “Not good.” Dean said. 


	11. The Born-Again Identity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam’s sleep deprivation finally lands him in the hospital and now Dean and I scramble to find a way to help him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my favorite episodes and I loved writing this chapter. Plus! We get to meet Castile and Meg, one of my favorite duos! Enjoy-Indigo

_ “I won’t let pain turn my heart into something ugly. I will show you that surviving can be beautiful.” _ -Christy Ann Martine 

  
  
  
  
  


The Winchester’s and I had a few hours left of drive before we were back at Rufus’s cabin. Dean and I were about exhausted as Sam was, so we decided to crash at a motel. Dean was already passed out as I rolled over. Sam was on the couch still wide awake, a few empty beer bottles were in front of him. “You okay?” I asked. 

“Yeah. Just…” he yawned. “Just go to sleep.” 

I closed my eyes and mumbled. “I will when you do…” I trailed off as sleep took me. 

The next morning I woke up to Dean’s snoring and Sam missing. I started to panic. I jumped out of bed and smacked Dean awake with a pillow. “What! What!” He said with a groggy voice. 

“Sam’s gone!” Little did we know he was at a local hospital. We got a phone call not long after that. He was hit by a car the night before. 

Dean and I left the motel and went straight to the hospital. Dean had constant panic wash over him as we found the doctor in charge of Sam. Though he didn’t bother asking the nurse if he was available. “Okay, sir? You can’t just barge in here without an appointment.” 

“Dean.” I said following her. 

He just ignored us. “They said, ‘talk to Kadinsky.’ You Kandinsky?” 

“You need to be scheduled!” She pleaded with him. 

“Well, then schedule me!” He replied with a wave of anger. I pressed my hand to his shoulder. 

“Dean. It’s okay.” I turned to the doctor. “I’m sorry-“ 

“He was in a car crash. Why the hell can’t we see him?” 

“You’re Sam Smith’s brother.” The Doctor said, taking his glasses off. 

“Yeah, What’s going on?” Dean asked. I fiddled with my ring again as I waited for the doctor to respond. 

The doctor spoke to the nurse, “It’s fine. Thank you. Really.” She left and the doctor stood. “Sam was admitted. He was treated for a broken rib and lacerations.” 

“Okay. That’s not too bad. And?” 

“And...he’s on our locked psychiatric floor.” Surprise came at a wave. 

“What?” I asked. 

“I mean, he’s had some trouble…” Dean started. 

“So you’re aware that Sam is experiencing a full blown psychotic episode?” 

I raised my eyebrows at that. Dean just said, “Psychotic? Come on. I mean, the guy’s...it’s not like the guy’s freakin’ _Norman Bates._ ” 

“No, I’m sure he isn’t. We need to determine whether his state was brought on by the insomnia or whether the insomnia is a symptom of his condition. Do you understand? So that we can figure out how to treat him.” 

“Well, all I can say is that the sleep thing is-is kind of new.” 

“Have you done anything for it?” I asked the doctor . 

“Right. Well...we’ve pumped him about as full of sedatives as we safely can. So far, he won’t go under. I’ve never seen anything like it.” 

“Can we see him?” I said, hoping to see Sam safe. 

The doctor nodded and took us to the ward, which is under full security lock down. He brought us to Sam’s room. He looked like shit if you asked me. He had bags under his eyes and he laid there in a white t-shirt and hospital pants. Dean and I glanced at each other worriedly. 

We went in despite it. “Hey,” I said with a gentle smile. 

“How are you feeling?” Dean asked. 

“Maybe you should cancel my UFC fight.” I pulled a chair from the desk in the room and sat down, while Dean sat on the end of the bed. All I could feel from Sam was the pure exhaustion. 

Dean then said, “Sam, I’m gonna find you help.” 

Sam sighed and looked away. “I don’t think it’s out there, Dean.” 

“We don’t know that.” I said. 

“We know better than most. It’s all snake oil. Last faith healer we hooked up with had a reaper on a leash. Remember?” Sam asked Dean. 

Dean stood with frustration rolling off him. “Yeah, Sam, I remember.” 

“I’m just saying…” 

“What? That you don’t want my help?” Dean asked. 

“No, I’m just saying...don’t do this to yourselves.” His defeat at it was heartbreaking. 

“Sam, if I don’t find something-“ 

“Then I’ll die.”

“Don’t say that.” I said instinctively. A few tears rolled down my cheeks. I didn’t want Sam to die. 

“Dean, we knew this was coming.” Sam reasoned. 

“No.” 

“When you put my soul back…” 

“No.” Dean repeated. 

“...Cas warned you about all the crap it would-“ 

“Screw Cas!” Dean raised his voice. “Don't be Dalai frickin’ Yoda about this, okay? Get pissed.” 

Sam just sighed, “I’m too tired.” He glanced at me with a pang of sadness rolling off him. “This is what happens when you throw a soul into Lucifer’s dog bowl. And you think there’s just gonna be some cure out there?” 

Dean nodded and bit his lip. “Okay.” I said. I got up and sat on Sam’s bed. “We’re  _ not _ giving up on you yet, Sam.” I took his hand. “You hear me.” I turned to Dean. “You go and do research or whatever. If and when you find something, you call me. Okay? Until then,” I turned back to Sam. “I’m gonna stay with you for visiting hours.” 

“You don’t have to-“ 

“No. I want to. And besides, I’m not gonna let you go through this alone.” 

Dean said, “Okay.” And left the room. 

“You’re stubborn.” Sam told me with a faint smile. 

I squeezed his hand. “Just as stubborn as you.” He laughed weakly. I let go and went to the bag I brought with me. “I hope you don’t mind, but I brought a book.” 

I handed it to him. “ _ To Kill a Mockingbird _ .” He chuckled again. “Tell you a secret?” 

He handed it back to me. “What? 

“I haven’t read it.” 

“Sam Winchester? You haven’t read  _ To Kill a Mockingbird _ ?” He shook his head. I sat back down on the chair. “Okay...let me you something. When I was a kid, if I ever got sick like with the flu or something. My mom would stay home with me...and she would read to me.” 

“Sounds nice.” 

“Alright then. How about I read this to you? It might help you get to sleep, if not though, it would be entertaining.” 

He smiled at me for a moment. “I’d like that.” 

I smiled back. “Okay then…” I opened the book. “Chapter one.  _ When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow… _ ” 

…

We spent hours like that. Just me reading to him. Taking breaks whenever Sam had a check up, meds to take, or food to eat. The staff were pleasant and offered me things. But the both of us enjoyed the bubble of me reading to him.

There were times however when Sam would zone out and asked me to repeat a section, which I did. I kept it hidden that I was worried for him. Ignoring the blatant fact that Sam could very well be dying. I couldn’t deal with that so, I focused slowly on comforting Sam. 

I did take a break to use the restroom, but when I was coming back I heard Sam shout, “Just stay the hell away from me.” I ran in from my place in the hallway. 

“Sam! Sam. It’s me.” I warily walked towards him, as if walking towards a wounded animal. When he saw me, he sighed. 

“I’m sorry…” he sat back down on the bed his back to me. I went to him and rubbed his shoulder gently. 

“It’s okay. It’s okay.” I said gently. 

We were on chapter eleven when visiting hours were up. I promised to return if Dean didn’t have anything. Sam still didn’t think it was possible, but I told him, “Have a little faith Samuel.” 

“What in? God?” 

I chuckled and shook my head. “No. In  _ us _ .” 

Dean picked me up and we went back to Rufus’s cabin. We were sitting at the table. Dean was doing research online while I was reading through some of Bobby’s old journals. Then Dean got a phone call. He answered it on speaker, “This is Dean.” 

“Mackey. Calling you back. Hey, real sorry about Bobby.” 

I smiled sadly at that. Dean just continued. “Yeah, me too.” 

“Look, what you called about-I might have something for you. There’s this guy. He goes by  _ Emmanuel _ . He kind of roams. First started hearing about him a couple of months back now. He was healing the sick, curing the crazy.” I listened intently. 

“Uh-Huh.” Dean replied. 

“Naturally, I think something in the milk ain’t clean. Find this sucker, punch his clock. Right?” 

“Right.” Dean then got up and started pacing, anxiety and anticipation coming off the both of us. 

“Heard the best way to get to him is through his wife, Daphne, out in Colorado? So, I go. Tell her I’m going blind. It’s true. My right eye’s burnt out. She says, ‘Go home. He’ll come.’ So I go, I set every trap, every test in the book.”

Dean smirked. “That’s what I would have done.” 

“Emmanuel shows. He passes every one.” I raised my eyebrows at that, a little bit of hope rising. “There ain’t nothing weird about this guy. Except...he’s the  _ real deal _ .” 

A wave of hope came from Dean when our eyes me, “What do you mean?” 

“He touched me, and my eye was fixed. Look I don’t believe in much that  _ don’t _ suck your blood. But I wouldn’t call you on a maybe.” 

Dean finished the call and looked at me. “It’s a lead.” He said. 

“I’m hoping it’s a lot more than that.” I said candidly. 

Dean went to bed to get some shut eye before high tailing it to Colorado. I was too anxious to sleep. So, I went out to my truck and got out my demon sword. I sat on the couch quietly, and unsheathed it. I examined my father’s handiwork like I had done so many times before. He spent any spare moment he had on it for months. I remembered him working on it and I would ask who it was for. He never answered, just smiled and said wait. Gave it to me on my sixteenth birthday. 

I smiled at the memories, and I took out my whetstone and got to work sharpening it. I had always done this if I felt particularly anxious or worried. Especially over someone I had cared about. Sitting with my thoughts and focusing on my hands, all of them on Sam. 

I let an hour go by before going to bed myself. 

…

We made it to Colorado to this woman’s house. I had taken my sword with me just on the feeling that I might have needed it. Dean didn’t say much, just shrugged and drove us there. 

We walked up the steps, and Dean knocked on the door and a man opened it. “Hi. Uh, is this Daphne Allen’s house? I’m looking for Emmanuel.” Dean told him. 

“Well, you found him. Daphne’s resting. If you don’t mind.” 

“Oh, yeah, sure.” Dean said as we stepped on the porch. The man came out with us and closed the door behind him. But something was off. He was lying about Daphne resting. 

“Um...so I was hoping, Uh…” then we both saw it. Through the window, a woman was bound to a chair both struggling and gagged. We look back at the man who had black eyes now. The Demon pushed me over the railing which I narrowly caught on to and tried to climb back over. I heard him say something to Dean. 

I dropped down to the ground as Dean said, “You know, I’d think twice. Or don’t you know that your boss issued a hands off memo?” 

I ran to the car for my sword. When I had gotten it and unsheathed it, there was a new man standing at the bottom of the stairs. I jogged towards them, stopping just behind the man. Dean managed to kill the Demon and threw him down the steps. When Dean saw the new man, who waved off curiosity and panic, he had looked down at him with shock. 

I could feel Dean’s confusion and panic in clear waves. The man just asked, “What was that?” 

Dean took the man inside and we watched as he helped with the woman. Dean stepped away as the man, who I was assuming was the real Emmanuel, checked on her. “That creature hurt you?” 

“Dean? What’s wrong?” I whispered. 

“I’ll explain later. If I figure out what the hell’s going on.” He whispered back. 

The man then turned back to us. “I’m Emmanuel.” He shook hands with both Dean and I. 

“Dean. I’m...Dean.” He said. I introduced myself. 

“Thank you for protecting my wife.” They both eyed my sword for a moment. 

“Your wife. Right.” Dean said with disbelief rolling off him. 

“I saw his face. His  _ real _ face.” 

“He was a demon.” I said to them. 

“A demon walked the earth.” Emmanuel said with shock rolling off the both of them. 

“ _ Demons _ . Whackloads of them. You don’t know about…?” Dean asked. 

Daphne then said to her husband, “You saw the demon’s true face.” She then turned to us. “Emmanuel has very special gifts.” 

Then he looked directly at me. “As do you.” I furrowed my eyebrows. “You have abilities.” 

“Yes. Yeah, I’m an empath...how did you...?” I asked. 

“I can sense it. Especially in your nature. It’s very kind.” 

I smiled. “Well...we’re here about you.” 

“Yeah.” Dean said, “I-I’ve heard about...Emmanuel, that you can heal people up.” 

“I seem to be able to help to a certain degree.” He said humbly. “What’s your issue?” 

“My brother.” 

“Then we will go to him.” 

“Really?” I asked. I was almost to the verge of tears. “Thank you. Umm…” I sensed Dean’s discomfort. “Could you give us a minute?” 

Dean and I went to the other side of the room. I asked him. “What’s up? How is he-“ 

“He’s Cas.” 

“What?” I furrowed my eyebrows. “I thought he was dead.” 

“I guess not.” 

“But he doesn’t remember.” Worry and sadness wafted off him. “Once we get Sam back on his feet...we’ll figure this out.” I assured him. 

…

I was sitting in the backseat of the car while Dean and...Cas or Emmanuel, sat in shot gun. After a lull of quiet, Dean’s curiosity started waving off him. “So, Daphne-is that, Uh, your wife?” 

“She found me and cared for me.” Emmanuel replied. 

“Meaning?” Dean asked. I raised my eyebrow,  _ why did he want to know _ ? 

“Oh, it’s a...strange story. You may not like it.” 

“Believe me, I will.” I rolled my eyes at him.  _ Really Dean _ ?    
  
Emmanuel’s discomfort waved off him a little, along with a wave of Nostalgia. “A few months ago, she was hiking by the river, and I wandered into her path, drenched and confused, and...unclothed. I had no memory. She said...God wanted her to find me.” 

My curiosity got me to ask, “So who named you Emmanuel?” 

“Bouncybabynames.com.” I chuckled at his response. 

“Well, it’s working for you. Must be weird not knowing who you are.” Dean said. 

Emmanuel just shrugged. “Well, it’s my life. And it’s a good life.” 

“Yeah, well, what if you were some kind of...I don’t know…”  _ Oh, Dean where are you getting at _ ? “...bad guy?” 

“I...don’t feel like a bad person.” I nodded at that. He was telling the truth. We fell back into a silence on the road. I dozed off for a while, letting the lull of the car bring me to sleep. 

Later, I woke up to Emmanuel asking about Sam. “So, your brother…” 

“Sam.” Dean said. 

“Sam. What’s his diagnosis?” 

“Well, it’s not exactly medical.” 

Emmanuel nodded his head, “That should be fine. I can cure illness of a spiritual origin.” 

“Spiritual? Okay.” Dean waited a beat. “Someone did this to him.” Anger started wafting off Dean. I sat up, knowing that I wouldn’t be going back to sleep until Dean had calmed down. 

“You’re angry.” Emmanuel must have sensed it too. It was strange listening to someone who could sense emotions like I could. I just stayed quiet however. 

“Well, yeah. Dude broke my brother’s head.” 

“He betrayed you, this dude. He was your friend?” 

“Yeah, well, he’s gone.” 

“Did you kill him? I sense that you kill a lot of people.” I fought a laugh.  _ Boy was he right _ . 

Dean then said. “Honestly, I-I-I don’t know if he is dead. I just know that this...whole thing couldn’t be messier. You know, I used to be able to just shake this stuff off. You know, whatever it was. It might take me some time, but...I always could. What Cas did...I just can’t-I don’t know why.”

I was surprised to see Dean open up this much. I couldn’t get him to talk like this even if I tried. And believe me, I tried. 

Emmanuel just said, “well, it doesn’t matter why.” 

“Of course it matters.” 

“No.” he argued. “You’re not a machine, Dean. You’re _human_.” It appeared that what he said rang true as Dean looked away from him. After a beat, Emmanuel said, “Your friend’s name was Cas? That’s an odd name.” 

…

In the morning we still had a ways to go, but we needed a food break. So we stopped at a convenience store. Dean and I got out of the car, with Dean telling Emmanuel, “Oh, hey, hey. Just, uh, sit tight. We’ll be right out, okay?” 

We walked towards the store. I said to him. “I don’t think that Demon at his house will be the only one. You got your knife?” I asked him. 

“Yep. You got your sword?” I smiled and patted it. I had it attached to my belt slipped under my jeans and well hidden by my peacoat. 

Dean and I went in and started browsing. He took out his phone and more customers walked in. Or at least that's what I thought. I looked up to see a pair of black eyes. The man shoved me into a shelf and went at Dean. I got up and pulled out my sword. Dean slammed him hard enough into a glass fridge to smash the surface. I stabbed the Demon right through his gut killing him. 

“Oh, come on.” Dean said as he noticed his phone was broken. 

“Let’s go.” I said as we walked through the next aisle to leave. Only to find two more Demons. I grip my sword with both hands as I swung at one while Dean went after the other. 

Next thing I knew I was pinned to wall, my sword in the floor, and Dean was thrown onto some shelves. Eventually the demon who pinned me left the body it was possessing and fell to the floor. “Emmanuel, you son of a bitch.” Dean said as I noticed another body. 

Standing over it, was a woman with dark hair and a leather jacket with the Demon Knife. She said, “Emmanuel. Yeah, not so much.” 

“Meg.” Dean grumbled as I picked my sword back up. 

“Dean, Dean, Dean. You got some ‘splanin’ to do.” She said with a smirk. 

“Who are you?” I asked. 

“She’s a demon.” Dean said. “One I have history with.” 

My eyebrows raised. “Nice sword by the way,” she said. “Demon killing kind I see. What’s your name?” She asked. I gave it to her, as she looked me up and down, and Dean went to the door. He turned the open sign around to closed and pulled down the blinds. 

“So why are you here?” I asked her. Smugness still rolled off of her as she walked closer to Dean. 

“Rumors are really starting to fly about this Emmanuel fellow. My curiosity sure got revved up.” She said. 

“Just tell me what you want, Meg.” 

She looked at him with a wave of anger coming off. “Imagine my surprise when I track him down, and he’s snuggled up with  _ you _ . And he’s the spitting image of poor, dead Castiel. So, Dean, What’s poor, dead Castiel doing in that junker out there?” 

“Christmas caroling.” Dean lied with bite. 

“Fun. But how’s he alive? Last I heard, he played God, went poof.” 

“We don’t know.” I said to her, finding a rag and began wiping the blood off my sword. 

“And neither does he, so you got to keep it shut.” Dean said. 

“Oh, I do?” 

“He doesn’t know he’s Cas.” Dean said with a wave of urgency. 

“I know. Been watching you for hours. So here’s the deal, you might remember Crowley and me were frosty back in the day?”  _ The king of hell has a hit on her _ ? “Well, times haven’t changed.” Suddenly her helping us started to make sense. 

“Good.” 

“That hurts my feelings. I’ve been good to you, Dean.” 

“No, you’ve been good to  _ you _ , sweetheart.” Dean began looking through the shelves to steal some snacks. 

“Look. Right now rumors of this wandering healer are strictly low-level. But body count’s getting high enough to change that. Folks start poking, they sniff Angel dust.” 

“She’s right Dean.” I said to him while resheathing my sword.

“Yeah, they start falling all over each other trying to tell Crowley.” He said. 

“Now picture Crowley with his hands on harmless little amnesia-Cas. Don’t get me wrong. I’m gonna burn that  _ smarmy _ dick. My time’s coming. But right now, my army-of-one situation is not cutting it. It’s cold out here, there’s a price on my ass, and I need friends.” 

“Yeah. I get that. But I ain’t it.” He said trying to walk us out the door. 

“That's where you’re wrong, Dean. ‘Cause I’m here to help you, and that makes us friends.” That time was a little bit of a lie. 

“Help, Huh?” Dean saw right through it. “You mean see if you can’t turn harmless little Cas out there into an Angel-sized  _ weapon _ ?” 

“Like you’re taking him  _ caroling _ . And by the way, you really want to keep going with no backup? I mean  _ sword wielding Barbie _ over there is helpful, but she won’t be enough.” I didn’t know to take that as a compliment or an insult. “Hey, I don’t trust you, either. But I could really use Emmanuel. And he trusts you. So for now, it’s in everyone’s best interests to hold hands and cross the street together, ‘kay?” 

I looked up at him, “Dean. I think she’s right. I don’t like it much either, but...having a Demon with us  _ might _ be a decent idea.” 

She looked me up and down again, “I  _ like _ you.” I shifted a little.  _ No time for flirting lady _ . I thought. 

After a beat of thinking, he said “We go straight to Sam. No detours.” 

“I love it.” She said with a smile and started towards the car. 

“And one more thing. My knife.” He said, holding out his hand. 

She gave back the knife with a little resistance. “You sure we wouldn’t be safer traveling with a full-throttle Angel? I could jog his memory.” We both gave her a look and walked to the door. “Kidding. We wouldn’t want to upset the poor guy.” 

We walked to the car.  _ Famous last words, _ I thought as Emmanuel clearly sent out a wave of panic when he saw Meg. “Her face! She’s one of-“ 

“It’s okay. We come in different flavors.” She said with a smirk. 

“She’s here to help Emmanuel.” I explained to him. 

“She’s, uh...a friend.” Dean said. 

“Meg.” She said with a flirtatious smile. “Just here for moral support. I mean, after all, we go  _ way _ back.” I raised an eyebrow. “Dean and me. Just met you two, of course. If I think we’re gonna be good friends, too.” 

“Alright. Can we go?” Dean asked with a wave of annoyance. He and Emmanuel went to their respected seats of before while I sat in the back with Meg.  _ This is going to be a long drive _ . I thought. 

The night had come in silence as we drove ever closer to Sam. Anxiety and frustration was all that was in the car. Eventually, it was too much for Emmanuel. “This silence is very uncomfortable. Is there something I should know?” 

“I don’t know. Dean?” Meg asked with a wave of smugness. 

“No. Meg has that effect. Awkward. You know?” I rolled my eyes. Even though she was a demon he was getting mean with the insults. 

“That must be difficult for you.” Emmanuel said to her, unknowing what Dean actually meant. 

“Dean’s making a joke, Emmanuel.” She told him. 

“Oh.” 

…

Relief rolled over Dean and I as we made it to the hospital. Still, we were stopped, there were a number of people hanging suspiciously in front of the entrance. Emmanuel said, “Oh, gracious,” as we looked down at them from the top of a hill. 

Dean took a look through a pair of binoculars. “Damn it. Demons.” Meg said. 

“All of them?” Dean asked. 

“No grass growing under  _ your _ feet.” She quipped. 

“Enough, we need a plan.” I told them. 

“How many of those knives and swords do you have?” Emmanuel asked. 

“Just the two.” I said defeated. 

“Well, then, forgive me, but what  _ do _ we do?” Emmanuel asked. 

“Yeah, Dean.” Meg asked. Frustration rolling right off her. “Got any other ideas how we could blast through that?” 

“Excuse us,” Dean said to him. “Meg?” 

“Oh, for the love of…” I said as we walked a distance away from Emmanuel.

“Sam’s in there. I know you’re enjoying the double dip with your old pal, but-“ 

I fought my own anger as Dean cut her off. “You think it’s that cut and dry? You know what he did. And you want to tell him and just hope that he takes it in stride? He could snap. He could...disappear. Who knows?” 

“I gather we know each other.” Emmanuel said, basically announcing he had heard every word that came out of Dean’s mouth. 

“Just a dollop.” Meg told him. 

“You can tell me. I’ll be fine.” 

“How do you know? You just met yourself. I’ve known you for years.” Dean said. 

“Maybe we should tell-“ I said before Meg had enough. 

“You’re an Angel.” 

“I’m sorry? Is that a flirtation?” The man asked. 

“No, it’s a species. A very powerful one.” 

Dean and I both sighed. “She’s not lying, okay. That’s why you heal people. You don’t eat. I’m sure there’s more.” I said. 

He gave us a hurt look. Confusion and pain coming off him in waves. “Why wouldn’t you tell me? Being an Angel-it sounds pleasant.” 

“It’s not, trust me. It’s bloody, it’s corrupt. It’s not pleasant.” Dean said as I had memories of Gabriel. 

“He would know.” Meg said to Emmanuel. “You used to fight together. Bestest friends, actually.” 

“We’re...friends? Am I Cas?” Realization came from him. I frowned at that. “I-I had no idea. I don’t remember you. I’m sorry.” 

“Look. You got the juice. You can smite every demon in that lot.” 

He turned and looked down at the demons. “But, I don’t remember how.” He said. 

“You will. It’s like your other powers. It’s instinct. I would know, my abilities...it’s my natural state. You saw that, because of what you are. Despite no memory of it.” I said to him. 

“It’s in there.” Dean tried to assure him. “I’m sure it’s just like riding a bike.” 

“I don’t know how to do that either.” He paused. Thinking about it. “Alright. I’ll try.” He started walking towards the demons. 

“This ain’t gonna go well.” Dean said as the man walked away. 

“I don’t know. I believe in the little tree topper.” Meg said with a smirk, pride coming from her. 

“I second that.” I said. We followed him down to the lot to see how this would all go down. 

The first demon to notice Emmanuel, or Cas really, said, “Hey, I know you. You’re dead.” 

“Yes. I’ve heard.” He began smiting and killing the demons with bright light whenever he destroyed them. Waves of confusion and realization came from him as he kept going.

“That’s my boy.” Meg said proudly. 

One of the demons tried to run away, causing Cas to use his powers to appeared before the thing and smite him. Once the demons were dead, We walked towards him. “That was beautiful, Clarence.” Meg said to him with waves of pride and joy. _ I didn’t realize demons feel joy _ . I thought. 

“Cas?” Dean called him. A wave of hope coming off him. 

“I remember you.” He faced us. “I remember everything.” Anger, regret, and shame came off of him. “What I did. What I became. Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“Because Sam is dying in there.” Dean said to him. 

“Because. Of. Me. Everything. All these people. I shouldn’t be here.” He began walking away. 

Sam’s last Hope was walking away. “Castiel!” I called out. 

“Cas. Cas!” Dean called out, panic washing over both of us. “You two stay here.” He said. “Cas!” 

Meg then turned to me. “So. Been needing to ask. What did you mean by  _ abilities _ ?” 

I sighed. “I’m an Empath. Cas and Dean know. I just...didn’t tell you.” 

“It’s fine. You don’t trust me. I don’t trust you.” She crossed her arms. “It’s in our natures.” She was lying. 

I smirked a little. “I never said I didn’t  _ trust _ you. I just don’t know you.” 

She quirked an eyebrow. “I like you.” 

“I know.” I said with a small smirk. Dean then ran back to us. 

“He’s inside.” 

…

Castiel narrowly saved Sam from a demon thankfully when we caught up with him. Now Sam was in his hospital bed, completely checked out. I was worried sick. About as much as Dean while Cas was speaking to us. He just gave the news that he can’t fix the wall in Sam’s head. 

“What the hell do you mean you  _ can’t _ ?” Dean asked. 

“I mean there’s nothing left to rebuild.” Cas explained. 

“Why not?” 

“Because it crumbled. The pieces got crushed to dust by whatever’s happening inside his head right now.” 

A tear rolled down my cheek. “So you’re saying there’s nothing?” I asked. 

“That he’s gonna be like this until his candle blows out?” Dean finished. 

“I’m sorry. This isn’t a problem I can make disappear. And you know that.” He paused in thinking. 

“I get that. But is there  _ anything _ you can do?” I asked, the last shred of hope clinging to me. 

He thought for a few moments, staring at Sam. “But...I may be able to shift it.” Cas said. 

“Shift?” Dean asked him. 

“Yeah, it would get Sam back on his feet.” Cas moved forward towards him on the bed. He sat close to him. “It’s better this way, I’ll be fine.” 

Sam flinched away from him. I wasn’t sure what was happening. Confusion and determination filled the room as I stood frozen. 

“Wait, Cas, What are you doing?” Dean asked, panicked. 

Castiel only focused on Sam. “Now, Sam, this May hurt. And if I can’t tell you again, I’m sorry I ever did this to you.” Cas placed his hand on Sam’s forehead. Red light glowed under his skin as he groaned. Then that light traveled up Cas’s arm and to his face, his eyes turned red as Sam groaned and gasped. 

“Sam?” I said as Both Dean and I went to the other side of the bed as Sam seemed to be back. Sam called me by my name as he saw me. 

“Dean!” He said as well. 

“Sam!” Dean said. I smiled as Sam sat up and realized who was sitting in front of him. 

“Cas? Cas, is that you?” 

Cas just looked at us and backed away in horror. Pure fear came from him. “Castiel?” I called him. “Castiel?!” He said nothing as he backed to the wall. 

…

After Sam was checked out, we left the hospital. “I don’t know. I mean, we can’t just leave him” 

“I don’t like it either, Sam.” I told him. 

“Well, we can’t bring him with us. Everything on the planet’s out for us, okay?” We walked briskly towards the car. “Word gets out, we can’t protect him. Not really.” When we got to the car, Dean reasoned, “This is safer. Every demon who knows about Cas is dead.” 

“Not everyone.” Sam said, knowing he was thinking about Meg. Distrust came off him. “Look, guys, this whole ‘enemy of my enemy is my friend’ thing feels kind of like a demon deal.” 

Dean tried to explain. “It’s not a deal. It’s-“

“It’s What?” 

“Mutually assured destruction.” I said dryly. 

“Look, man, I get it.” Dean said. “She’s not our friend. We don’t have friends. All our friends are dead.” 

We just got in the car and drove off. Meg decided to stay with Castiel, to watch over him for now, while we had to deal with the Leviathans. I was happy to have Sam back, but I felt awful for the angel. 

…

We went back to Rufus’s cabin for all three of us to get some well needed sleep. Between Sam’s lack of sleep, and Dean and I going to Colorado and back, we were all exhausted. 

I had crashed in the bedroom of the cabin in almost no time at all around six o clock that night. I woke up hungry around one in the moring. I got up and snuck out of my room, determined to get something to eat without waking either Winchester. 

“What are you doing up?” 

“Crap !” I half whispered when I heard the voice. 

“Sorry.” Sam whispered, getting up from the couch. He was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of athletic sweatpants.

“Why are you awake?” I asked him as I got out the peanut butter. 

“Just woke up.” He sat down at the table. The only light in the room came from the moonlight and porch light outside. It was enough to make a sandwich. “What about you?”

“I’m hungry. Peanut butter-and-banana sandwich?” I offered. He smiled a little and nodded. I got bread out and a few bananas. “How are you feeling?” 

“Better. Haven’t slept like that in a long time.” 

“Good. I’m glad to see you doing okay. You had us scared, you know?” 

“I know...I’m sorry.” Guilt wafted off him. 

I handed him his sandwich on a plate. “It’s not your fault, Sam.” 

“Yeah.” We proceeded to start eating our sandwiches in the dark and quiet. Then after a while, he asked, “can I say something?” 

“Of course. Nothing’s stopping you.” 

A small wave of embarrassment came off of him. “Thank you...for not giving up on me...and uh...spending time with me. It was...it was nice.” 

I smiled at him. “It was no problem. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.  _ And _ ...I didn’t want you to be alone.” 

“It helped. Believe me. Thank you.” Gratitude wafted off him, and something else. 

By the time we fell back into quiet, my eyes were getting tired and I finished my sandwich. I put my plate back in the sink and the food away. Sam hadn’t left his seat, and I could feel his eyes watching me. I walked past him, gently palming his shoulder and looking down at him. “Get some more sleep, okay?” I said gently. 

“You too.” He said as he took my hand in his own. 

“Goodnight, Samuel.” 


	12. Party on, Garth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garth asks for help on a case while we work, we get a little more than we bargained for.

_“I drink to make other people more interesting.”_ -Ernest Hemingway 

  
  
  
  


We were driving on the road. It was late and we were looking for a new case. Sam was driving, and Dean had just gotten a call from Meg with an update on Cas. “Alright, well, call us if he wakes up or, you know, anything...Yeah, fine….Thanks for your help, Meg.” I smirked at that. I was starting to like the Demon; she knew how to press Dean’s buttons. He hung up, and said with annoyance wafting off him, “What a bitch.” 

“So, Cas is the same, then?” Sam asked. 

“Yeah, down to the drool.” Sam nodded in response. “By the way, how is your custard?” Dean asked. 

“It’s alright.” He said as he glanced at me through the rear view mirror. “It’s getting better. Just wish it wasn’t like the damn tape from _The Ring_. I mean, I feel like I’m okay cause I passed on the crazy.” 

“Sam you weren’t crazy.” They both gave me a look. “Okay, so you lost a couple marbles, but you're getting better. And so is Castiel.” I was trying to be optimistic about all of it. 

“You heard what Cas said.” Dean reminded him. 

Then my phone rang. “Let’s-lets not. You know what?” Sam said. 

“Garth?” I said when I answered. Dean wafted off a little confusion at the name. 

“Hey Darlin’! How are you?” He asked over the phone. 

“I’m good.” I smiled, “You know, been hunting and all that. What’s up?” 

“Yeah...heard you’re running with the Winchester’s now.” 

I chuckled a little. “Yeah. It’s been alright. In the words of an old drunk, ‘somebody’s got to keep an eye on those two Idjits.” Sam and Dean both smiled. 

“Yeah. Listen, there’s something brewing in Junction City, Kansas. I need some help. Tell Dean I’m cashing in that favor he owes me.” 

“Always. See you tomorrow?” We hung up after exchanging goodbyes. “We need to get to Junction City, Kansas.” 

“What’s up?” Sam asked. 

“Garth’s calling in a favor with Dean. Needs our help with a case.” 

…

We got there by morning and switched into the Fed suits. We went to the Morgue to investigate the deaths of a couple of local kids. The coroner led us into the morgue, “Well this is it. Agents...this is Corporal Brown.” 

Garth was standing in an Army uniform. I fought a laugh as I saw him. Then he said, “Corporal James Brown, I’m shipping off to the AF mañana. I’m here to pay respects to my cousin as I will not be able to attend the funeral.” 

“That must be terrible for your family.” The coroner said, “Losing two brothers so fast.” _Two brothers_? We all exchanged a look in shock. 

Garth has to think fast. “Yeah, yeah. My aunt-she’s, uh...she’s real broken up about it.” 

Sam, sending waves of annoyance said, “Hey, Doc, can we see both files, please?” 

The coroner walked away as Sam gave Garth a bitch face. Poor Garth sent out a wave of fear, but stayed cool. We were given the files and the coroner had to take a call. By this time, Sam let Garth have it. “You didn’t say they were brothers.” 

“Dude,” Garth said in defense, “I just found out about the other corpse, and...started moving quick. I’m sucking up info as I go.” 

“It’s okay.” I smiled at him. “It’s good to see you.” 

Garth smiled brightly back. But he dropped it when Dean said, “What, are you allergic to a suit?” 

“No. I just...look good in a uniform.” 

I chuckled as I scanned the files. Then Sam blurted out what I wanted to say. “Yep. Same cause of death.” 

“Pattern.” I added. Sam gave me back the files, and he went to a computer in the room. “Can you tell us what you have so far?” 

“Right, uh, gutted at night in the woods, where legend says that the ghost of Jenny Greentree roams.” 

I nodded as Dean took out an EMF reader. Garth then said, “Oh, uh, I already scanned for EM…” the reader went in the red. “...F. Oh. Um...I guess mine must be broken...again.” I furrowed my eyebrows. I wasn’t sensing anything from the body. 

As Dean spoke, I let my walls fall, trying to sense anything of spiritual nature with it. “Alright, I’m reading your mail. Uh, ghost of Jenny...whatever?” 

“Greentree, that’s just it. I torched her bones.” Garth was just waving off confusion. Clearly stumped with the case. 

“Yeah, well, maybe she’s got something still laying around.” Dean said. 

“Highly doubtful. Chick was homeless.” Garth said. I nodded and pulled the sheet up. Dean and I both made a disgusted face. “Plus, is it me, or is this less evil spirit, more monster chow?” 

“I’m not sensing anything out of the normal Dean.” I said. 

Garth had a wave of surprise. “Wait a minute...they know?” 

I laughed a little at his response. “Yes. They know. Now back to the case. Could it be a werewolf?” I put my walls back up, thinking I couldn’t sense anything else. 

“Except, uh, the witness said that whatever was chasing victim numero uno was invisible.” Garth said. 

Dean had a wave of amusement as he chuckled, “Uh...So, invisible ghost werewolf.” 

“Why’d you think I called for backup? And the best ghost hunter I know.” He said smiling at me. 

“Oh stop.” I said blushing a little. “I’m not the _best_. I just have a little extra help is all.” 

“Hey. Any of you ever heard of Thighslapper Ale?” Sam asked. 

I furrowed my eyebrows at that, he gave off a wave of jealousy. I didn’t understand why. Garth just asked, “Is that...a stripper or a beverage.” 

“Beverage for douchebags.” Dean said. I rolled my eyes. 

“More info please?” I asked Sam.

“Uh, Number one microbrew in the Pacific Northwest.” 

“But we’re in Kansas.” Garth said. 

“Yeah, I rest my case. What’s your point?” Dean asked. 

“The owner is the dad of the dead brothers.” 

I nodded and looked at Garth, “Right, I’ll can the uniform, go Fed, see you at the brewery in forty.” 

“See ya,” I said as he left. 

Sam just looked at Dean, who smirked a little, and said, “He grows on ya.” 

We finished up at the morgue and headed straight to the Thighslappers beer brewery. We waited at the glass front door for someone to bring us in. 

Dean then asked me, “so how do you know Garth?” 

I smiled. “We go back a ways. Met him through Bobby.” I shook my head. “I was in way over my head in a werewolf case in Montana. Garth saved my ass.” They both nodded in approval.

“Was he...uh...flirting earlier?” Sam asked quietly to just me.

I quirked an eyebrow. “No. Why?” I asked with a faint smile. 

Before Sam could answer, Garth showed up just in time for a woman to let us in. “Agents. I’m Marie. I’m a manager.” 

Dean said to her, “Thanks for coming in on a Sunday.” 

“We want to help. Anything we can do.” She has a wave of grief over her. She let us in. The boys let me go ahead as we walked through the steel brewery. 

“Oh. So all this is your dad’s, huh?” Dean asked when we entered the offices.

“And his friend-Randy Baxter. They own the place together now.” 

“Uh...now?” Sam asked. 

“Well, since Dale died.” She explained. Sam and I exchanged a look. We were interrupted by the yelling of a man to an employee in one of the offices. “The, uh, charming Randy Baxter.” 

Frustrantion wafted off the man as he said, “Tell you what-congratulations! You’re headed for the graveyard shift. Be one second late, and you’re fired.” 

“Yes, sir.” The teenager said and left the office. 

“He’s actually a really nice guy, it’s just not easy being the axman,” the woman explained. Still I thought it was strange that he was being so emotional with an employee. 

“So true.” Dean said. 

Garth then patted my shoulder. “Our comrades got you covered, so if you’ll excuse us.” I followed Garth towards the office. 

Sam said behind us, “Uh, yeah, I’ll go with you.” I smiled back at him as we headed in to see the two bosses. 

“Mr. McAnn? Uh, we’ll be brief. I promise.” I said gently. Both had grief coming off of them. As soon as I entered, I noticed a change in the room. It caused warmth to spread down my spine. _There’s something with spirit mojo in here._

Garth then started the questioning. “Mr. McAnn, is there any reason to believe your sons may have had enemies?” 

The man remained in his spot with his arms crossed, “We were told they were animal attacks.” 

“We just need to explore every possibility.” Sam said. 

“They got lots of friends. No.” 

“Well, do they work here with you? Like Marie does. Uh, could someone have been jealous?” 

“N-no. Marie’s the only one. Oh-no. Th-there’s no…” the man was fighting tears. His grief was overwhelming as I fought tears myself.

His partner, Baxter, said to him, “Jim, it’s okay. It’s okay,” he turned to us. “Let him get some rest. I’ll answer your questions.” 

“Of course.” I said to him. McAnn left the room. 

Baxter offer us the seats infront fo the desk. So Garth and I sat down while Sam remained standing. 

“I knew Ray and Trevor. Hell, I’m godfather to all four of Jim’s kids. Ray and Trevor loved their fun, but they’d never do anything crazy.”

“No rugrats of your own?” Garth asked. 

“Just Jim’s. They’d borrow my car, raid my fridge.” I smiled a little, reminded me of Bobby’s when I was a kid. 

“Now, the two of you started this company with a third partner. Right?” Sam asked him. Another wave of grief came over the man in front of us. 

“Yeah. Dale. He passed away a few months ago.” 

“I’m so sorry.” I said to him. He just nodded. 

Then Garth asked. “Passed away in the woods or…?” 

Baxter moved to take a seat. “He took his own life.” 

“Oh. Sorry.” Garth said. 

“Well, he had problems for a long time. Look, this is just a nightmare.” That’s when I noticed a box with several Japanese characters written on hit on display behind his desk. It was the source of the spiritual energy. Still the man continued. “First Dale, now this. This was gonna be our big year. We’re selling Thighslapper to one of the largest distributors in the US. It’s been in the works for months. News is gonna hit public pretty soon.” 

“Well, that’s the brass ring, Huh?” Garth asked. 

“Given other circumstances, yeah, we’d be celebrating right now.” We left not long after that. Wheels were still turning in my head as we got to the car. 

“Hey Sam? Did you see that box with the Japanese writing on it?” 

“Yeah, why?” He asked while Dean and Garth listened. 

“Something about it made my alarm bells go off. I think we should look into it.” He nodded in agreement as we opened the car doors. 

…

We went back to Garth’s motel, to which he insisted we stayed with him. It was a large two queen suite with a bar and a hot tub. Definitely Garth’s style. I was sitting at the table with Sam reading through a book, while he was on his laptop. Garth was sitting at the bar working on his EMF reader, and Dean was sitting on the couch reading in his dad’s journal. 

“There’s a million things with claws that go bump in the night. Once you throw in ‘invisible’ the number goes down.” I smiled at that. Then Dean gave a wave of discomfort. “‘Afternoon Delights’?” He said when reading off a motel card. “Really, Garth? Don’t you think this place is a little, uh…” 

Garth didn’t look up from his reader. “Uh, you want a nice hot tub after a day at the office. It’s the little things.” Sam and Dean just exchanged a look, then both looked at me for an explanation. I just shrugged and kept reading. Garth continued to think out loud. “I feel sad for those brewery dudes. Spend your life beautifying the world through beer. First, partner offs himself.” I then noticed Dean take a drink from his flask and wondered when he was going to quit the excessive drinking. Garth continued. “Now two kids get tanked by unknown freakadeek.” 

“According to this,” Sam said, “Dale wasn’t just a partner. He was also the brewmaster.” 

“Brewmaster?” Dean asked. 

I explained, “guy who basically creates and blends the beer.” 

“He was widely considered a genius.” 

“Alright, that’s it.” Dean got up. “No microbrew is worth,” he put down his flask on the bar and Garth’s EMF reader started going off. “What was it-eight Food magazine Awards?” Dean then got out four beers and passed them out. “Beer’s not food. It’s...whatever water is.” 

I was given mine and I opened it and took a sip. I was a little surprised to see it actually was really good. Dean then said, “Hmm. Thighslapper.” I smiled as he took a sip. “Wow, that’s actually awesome. Damn it, I’m not even mad anymore.” 

I chuckled as Dean gave us a look. Then all eyes went on Garth, he was chugging the whole thing down. And when the last few drops hit his mouth, he belched. My eyebrows raised as Dean said, “Wow. Party on, Garth.” 

“I don’t usually drink beer, it messes with my depth perception.” He hiccup a little. “Especially when I skinny-dip. 

I laughed. “I remember Garth, I’m surprised you downed the whole thing.” Both Sam and Dean looked at me with surprise coming off them. “Mind you, I _don’t_ skinny dip.” I told them. “Just been to some _wild_ hunter’s parties.” 

“Hey, you guys want to hear a joke?” 

We just ignored Garth as Sam said, “Listen to this. This is something interesting.” Then Garth laughed. “Garth, are you drunk?” 

“Dude, I just...drank a whole beer. Of course I’m drunk.” He belched again. 

“Yeah, he’s a lightweight.” I said dryly. Sam gave me a bitch face to which I just ignored. He wafted off annoyance as he looked back at Dean. 

Dean just shook his head and asked Sam, “Something interesting?” 

“Right. Uh…” 

“Hey, can I have some more Thighslapper?” Garth asked. 

“No.” Sam and I said at the same time. 

“No.” Dean said too, and then told him, “Coffee for you, Tara Reid.” 

“Coffee with kalhúa in it?” I gave Garth a look which seemed to quiet him. 

Sam then continued, “So, it says that Dale actually left the company two weeks before he died. Or...maybe he got pushed out ‘cause he didn’t want to sell. I mean, Baxter said the deal’s been in the works for months.” 

“That would explain the widow.” Dean said, “She’s suing. Maybe Dale had a bone to pick, and he’s still picking it.” 

I nodded. Then Garth said. “Right. So, maybe he’s a spiritu malo.” 

A police radio that was left on the bar went off. “ _Unit to McAnn residence. 698 Washburn_.” 

Sam then asked, with some panic coming off him, “‘McAnn residence,’ as in Jim McAnn?” 

“As, in let’s hope for their sake our spirito ain’t made it out of the woods.” Garth then got up. “Alright, let’s go check it out.” 

“Uh, you two go. I’m gonna visit the widow.” Sam said. 

I stood and said, “I’ll go with you.” 

…

Sam and I tracked down the widow to her house. She was a woman who had lingering anger with her. Clearly she was still grieving as well. The house was nice and was decorated with all sorts of different worldly items. “Your husband did a lot of traveling, huh?” Sam asked. 

“He went to all kinds of exotic places for the best ingredients.” She said. We sat down on her large couch in her livingroom. 

“Right. We’ve tried his work. It’s great. Our friend’s a big fan.” I said gently. Which earned me a smirk from Sam. 

“Um, I hear you’re not exactly on the best of terms with Dale’s old partners.” Sam said. 

A wave of anger came through. “Well, they sold his company right out from under him. It’s not about money. It’s about...it was his baby, you know?” 

“You sound pretty upset about it.” I said to her gently. 

“I’m furious. I hate them. But then I think how Dale was.” 

“What do you mean?” Sam asked. 

“His friends left him behind, but you know what he said. ‘I’m gonna send them a gift that shows I forgive ‘em.’” 

“Do you have any idea what he sent them?” 

“Bottle of sake. From one of his trips. In a...gorgeous box with writing. He was so careful with it. Wouldn’t let me touch it.” 

After speaking with her, I was so sure that it was the box in the office that got me going. Sam and I started driving. We called Dean and Garth, and they were on their way to the brewery too. 

“I can’t believe it.” I said. “He was so angry with them that he sent a monster in a box to kill their children.” 

Sam shook his head. “Some people right? If they only knew what we know.” 

“Yeah.” 

“You okay?” 

“Yeah, I just...I hate it when kids are involved. Makes everything a lot harder. More on the line.” 

He nodded. “You seem pretty good with them.” 

I smiled. “Yeah. Always wanted one or two of my own. One day, obviously.” We both chuckled. “The life...just makes it harder. I mean, dating alone is practically nonexistent.” 

Sam laughed some more. “Tell me about it.” 

“What about you?” 

“What?” 

“Wife? Kids? Would you want that?” 

“Perfect world? Hell yeah, but...I don’t see it anytime soon.” He said with a wave of sadness. 

We fell back into silence again. And soon we arrived at the brewery. We all parked around back, and Garth stayed in the car to keep watch. Sam, Dean, and I picked the back lock and snuck into the quiet brewery. 

“Here it is.” Sam said once we got to the office. He picked up the box and placed it gently on the desk. The warmth on my spine returned. Sam then opened it. 

“Yep. This is it.” I said to them as Sam opened the second box to find a glass bottle of saki. 

“Oh.” Sam said. Then he shook the bottle. You could hear the empty space. “Someone’s been sampling the goods.” 

“Oh, you don’t say?” Dean said, then he chuckled. “Hey check it out.” We all looked up to see a security camera. “God, I love paranoid people.” 

“Takes one to know one right?” I asked playfully. 

He just rolled his eyes and said to Sam, “See if you can get on..” we all crowded around the computer.

Sam started typing. “Okay. Uh…” he brought up the live feed, “huh!” We all wave to make sure it’s live. “Alright, so, first death was, what, uh, four nights ago? Yeah?” 

I nodded. “Yep.” 

“And, uhm Trevor McAnn. Patient zero.” Dean said. 

“So what did he let out of that bottle?” Sam asked. He started playing through security footage. Eventually, we got to the night Trevor came in. He went into the box and stole some liquor. Not much else. 

“Nothing there.” Sam said. 

“That we can see.” Dean said. 

“Wait...replay it.” I let down my guards and tried all that I could to see what they couldn’t. “There. You can’t see it, but...there’s an aura.” 

“An aura?” Sam asked. 

“Yeah. That’s why I can kind of see spirits even if they aren't manifesting. They give off energy waves that appear as auras. I’m able to sense them, or see them. Even on camera.” 

He smirked. “Cool.” 

Then Dean placed a bottle and a few glasses in front of us. “Are you kidding me?” I said. 

“Tick-tock.” Dean said. 

Sam started pouring himself a glass. He offered me some, to which I chuckled, “yeah, somebody’s gotta be designated driver here.” 

Sam then asked Dean, “I mean, can you even get drunk anymore? It’s kind of like uh, drinking a vitamin for you, right?” 

I chuckled as Dean said, “Shut up.” He then sniffed the bottle he was holding. “Holy…” 

They both proceed to drink until they’re whipped. It took a little bit, but eventually Dean said, “Alright, party time.” 

“Okay.” I said. 

“Rewind and go.” Sam said, then replayed the footage, both of their eyes grew wide as realization wafted off them. “So, he-he let that thing out of the box, and it must have just followed him to the place with all the thingies.” 

“Yes. Yes. That’s smart.” Dean said, genuinely impressed. I giggled, seeing them both drunk. “I’m actually kind of drunk.” Dean then looked at his glass. “What is this?” He poured another drink before I could stop him. “Me likey. I miss these talks.” Then I looked up to see another presence. 

“Oh crap.” I said. 

“What the hell?!” Baxter had come back to his office.

“Oh, man.” 

“Uh.” I went to the computer and tried to get us off the footage. 

“Turn it off. Turn it off.” Dean said to me. 

“FBI, Huh? You know what? You can save it for the cops.” 

“Do something!” I said as I leaned over Sam. 

He backed away awkwardly and said, “Whoa, whoa, Mr. Baxter, listen. If-if you just let us explain, you might not-“ 

Then I heard Baxter hit the floor. I looked up to see Garth had tased him. “Garth. I love you.” I said to him as I went to fix the tapes. 

…

We got out of the brewery pretty quickly and took the box with us. I drove both boys to get some coffee while Garth went and took care of Baxter. Then we had the problem of translating the box. So, Sam had the bright idea to find a local Japanese place and ask for someone to translate for us. We were standing at the back of the restaurant speaking with a man. 

“ _Anata ga marou mono...Wa anata ka ranmo morau._ It says, ‘what you took will be taken from you.’ Like, an eye for an eye. You with me?” The man asked. 

Sam nodded while I said, “yeah. Can you keep going?” 

“ _Kono bin niwa syoujou zuke no sake ga hu-in sarete iru_. Where’d you guys get this anyway?” A little panic came off of him. 

“Why? Is-is there, uh, something the matter?” Sam asked him. 

“Well, you’re not superstitious, are you?” He asked. The man then gave Sam the box back. 

“Not at all.” Dean said dryly. 

“No, no.” 

“Because...this says the bottle inside contains a _Shojo_.” 

“Oh no.” I said under my breath. 

“What’s a...Shojo?” Dean asked. _Geez he’s still a little drunk_. 

“It’s an alcoholic spirit.” I told him. 

“Yeah. Look, it’s just an old myth. I wouldn’t worry about it. But they are not known for being friendly.” Someone called for him. “I got to go.” 

“Oh. Uh, hey. Uh…there you go.” Dean said as he handed him a twenty. “Thank you.” 

“Thank you. Take care.” The man left for the kitchen. 

“Hey.” Dean said as we walked to the car. “How did you know what that was?”   
  
“Remember, Bobby was fluent in Japanese?” I asked. Sam smiled with a wave of nostalgia. “He had a bunch of lore books from Japan lying around so I took a gander.” 

“You read Japanese?” Sam asked. 

“Only a little, I used a translation dictionary for the most part.” They both chuckled. 

The three of us took the box and went back to the motel. We opened the door to find Garth practicing tai-chi in the court yard area in the back. Sam put the box down, and Dean and I were staring. 

“Garth. Where’s Baxter?” Sam asked. 

Garth came back in and pointed at the hot tub. “Dude’s a lot heavier than he looks, FYI.” Baxter was sitting unconscious in the hot tub, handcuffed and a pillowcase over his head. “But here,” Garth said gesturing towards Dean’s EMF reader. “Thought you might want this.” 

Dean just eyed Baxter. “You have the CEO of the Douchiest microbrew in the US gagged in your hot tip? You really think that’s gonna end well?” I chuckled a little. 

“I’m not feeling the love.” 

“Alright. Shojo. Uh, let’s see what we can see.” Sam said as he sat down to use his laptop. 

“What’s a Shojo?” Garth asked as he stood behind Sam to read over his shoulder. 

“Japanese booze monster.” Dean answered him as I threw off my jacket and sat down on the couch. 

“I guess that would explain why you got to be drunk to see it. Very poetic.” Garth crosses his arms as Sam pulled up a website on them. Dean got out another bottle of whiskey. 

“Okay. So, a Shojo is said to roam where there's lots of alcohol.” Sam said, “There's lore saying that, back in the old day, if you were plastered enough, you could see one skulking around the breweries in Japan.” 

“Yeah, but why is this one shredding brewers’ kids?” Dean asked. 

“Apparently, you can harness the will of a Shojo with the right spell box. Then you basically have an attack dog that you can sic on whatever sort of personal revenge mission you want.” 

“So Dale found one to punish the friends.” I said. 

“Send the bottle, sooner or later it’s popped open, then you have a Shojo that will do whatever Dale compelled it to do right here on the box.” Sam moved the box closer to him to look at it. 

“Wait.” Garth said moving over to sit at the bar “Except it’s not killing the people that screwed him over.” 

“Well, Dale’s widow said the company was his baby.” I explained, “So, if he really wanted his friends to feel what he felt.” Dean then began filling his flask. 

“He would take theirs. Well, their kids. Jim’s, anyways.” Dean said not looking up. 

“And Baxter was The Godfather.” I said. 

“Alright, skip to how do we gank it.” Dean said. 

“Good news. It is killable.” Sam said. 

“But?” I asked. 

“But only with a samurai sword consecrated with a Shinto blessing.” 

“Well...that's not a silver lining. All right, the Shojo already cleaned house, right? I mean, Marie's the last target standing, so...I'll hit the pawn shops and, uh, look for the sword, and you babysit Marie.” He told Sam. 

“I’ll go with. Swords are my specialty anyway.” I got up smiling. 

Garth then accidentally knocked over and caught an EMF reader, which started to go off. “Yikes. Sorry.” 

Dean took it from Garth and turned it off, “Don’t worry about it.” 

“Unless I’ve got nothing to be sorry for.” 

“Garth.” Dean gave off a wave of anger. 

“What’s he talking about?” I asked putting my jacket back on. 

“I’m concerned that Bobby might be haunting you.” My heart dropped to my shoes. “I-I brought it up to Dean, and he shot me down.” 

“Garth! Leave it alone.” Dean said as he pulled on his jacket. 

“It’s okay.” Sam said. 

“No, it’s far from okay.”

“I’ve already tried contacting Bobby.” Both Dean and I looked at him with waves of surprise. “When that beer disappeared, I pulled out a talking board.” 

“Without us?” Dean asked him. 

“You know, I figured, why drag you in...when it’s something I could just put to bed myself.” 

“And?” 

“And if he was there, I’d have told you.” Sam said. 

Then Garth looked at me. “Can you sense anything darlin’?” 

I would have smiled at the old nickname if the whole topic didn’t make me want to gag. “Garth-“ 

“Just tell us. You’ll end it, I promise.” He told me. A wave of assurance came from him. 

I stared at the flask. I thought to myself, _I would have sensed something by now wouldn’t I? But is that because I don’t want to see it? I don’t want Bobby to be a ghost?_ A few tears ran down my face. “Guys. I _can’t_ do this right now.” I wiped a few away. Baxter then groaned from the tub. “Can we talk about this later. Please?” My voice cracked at that last word.

Sam looked at me with his puppy dog eyes as a “Yeah,” came from Dean. He nodded and walked towards me as he told Sam. “You follow Marie. Let me borrow your keys.” Garth let him have them, and we left the room. 

As we got in the car, I wiped the last of my tears away. “You okay?” Dean asked. 

“Yeah. Just uh...I don’t know. There have been weird things, but...I don’t think that I’ve been seeing the signs.” 

“That’s Good.” 

“No it’s not.” I said to him. “It’s because I haven’t wanted to see them. I haven’t willed myself to see into the vale for a long time. Cause I don’t want to see him there. The only reason I’ve been so put together about him, was that all this time I thought he moved on, but now...I can’t go through it. I won’t.” 

Dean pressed a hand to my shoulder and just stayed quiet as we looked for the nearest pawn shop. 

…

We found a samurai sword and printed out a blessing. We took it back to the guy who translated the box for us. He agreed, after a promise of compensation, to bless the sword. 

We took a wooden crate and placed it in front of him. Dean then unsheathed the sword and placed it down. “It’s says it’s best to do this in a running spring.” 

“Uh, yeah. I uh…” he took out a bottle of spring water from his jacket. “I got it. Okay. We good?” 

“I’ll do my best.” 

“Alright.” Dean picked up the sword and prepared to run the water over it. 

The man started, then stopped, “go.” I chuckled as Dean started running the water over it. He chanted a few words in Japanese. It didn’t take long for him to say all of it. “That’s it.” 

“Oh.” Dean stopped pouring. 

“Alright thanks.” I handing him the cash and Dean resheathed the sword. 

“Thank you.” The man said and walked back into the restaurant. Then Dean's phone rang. “Hey Garth.” He answered on speaker. 

“Dean, Baxter’s got a secret love child! The Shojo might come for him first!” 

“Whoa, slow down!l 

“I’m trying to save lives here!” 

“Are you drunk?” I asked through the phone. 

Then we heard a few clicking noises and a distinct “dammit, dammit.” 

“Garth?” Dean said. “You dropped your phone, didn’t you? Hello? Garth!” 

“Sorry, sorry, sorry. I’m here.”

“Where the hell are you?” He asked with urgency. 

“I’m in the brewery-“ we could hear his breathing as he got quiet. 

“Garth?” 

Garth whispered. “Dean, it’s here.” 

We both jumped in the car. “I’ll call Sam.” I got my own phone out and pressed for his number. 

“Yeah.” I heard him. 

“Hey, you good to drive?” I asked, 

“Uh…” I rolled my eyes. 

“Well, get a ride. It’s at the brewery. We’re heading there now.” 

“What?” Dean then grabbed my wrist and yelled. 

“There’s another kid. Don’t think-move.” Sam hung up. 

Dean just sped through town trying to get to the brewery We got there and ran inside. Thankfully the front door was unlocked. Dean held the sword when we found an unconscious Sam and the kid scared shitless. 

Dean yelled “Get back!” He moved him behind us. I focused everything I had looking for the damned thing. 

“it’s in front of us but I can’t pinpoint it!” I yelled. Dean then just swung a few times before he was punched in the gut. He dropped the sword and it slid out of the way. Before I could reached it, I was thrown in the opposite direction straight for the wall. 

The wind was knocked out of me as I watched the sword seem to move by itself, straight to Dean’s hand. Dean got to his feet as Sam woke up. “Where is it?!” 

“Uh, s-s-swing right!” Sam said. Dean swung to his right. “My right.” 

He just appeared to be swiping at energy. But eventually Dean got it right in the gut. I breathed a sigh of relief as the thing materialized, screamed, and fell backwards. It disappeared and the sword fell to the ground with a clang. 

Sam then ran to me and helped me up. “Ugh. Your breath smells like a minibar.” I grumbled. 

“Sorry.” 

“Sam you okay?” Dean asked. Sam was still staggering, but gave a thumbs up. 

“Where’s Garth?” Dean and I said at the same time. 

The kid then said, “Well, he’s-he’s over this way.” 

“Would you go get him?” The kid went off to find him with Sam following. I lingered. 

“Dean? Did...did it move?” I asked him after a beat. 

Dean seemed to ignore me. “This moved. Bobby? Are you here?” He asked. I paused and looked around us. For the first time, looking for any sign of Bobby. A tear escaped my eye. “Come on, do something.” Dean pleaded. 

Then he looked at me. I just shook my head as if I couldn’t sense anything. I didn’t want to tell him what I truly saw. I didn’t even want to believe it. 

…

The next morning, we were all heading out. Even after the events last night, I still didn’t want to talk about Bobby. Garth carried out his bag to his car while we followed to say goodbye. “You sure you guys don’t want to hang out? Grab some brunch, maybe some brews?” 

I chuckled a little as Dean said, “Tempting, but, uh, we better roll.” 

“Alright, well…” Garth looked at me first. “Darlin’ it was great seeing ya.”

I smiled and gave him a hug. “You too Garth. Keep trucking, okay?” 

“I will.” We broke apart. Then He went up and gave Dean a hug. 

“Oh. Yeah.” Dean and Sam gave each other a look. 

“Call me anytime.” 

“Alright.” 

“And you, Sam.” Garth looked up at him and shook hands. 

“Yeah.” Sam said. 

“Ah, come here.” Garth pulled him in. 

“Uh, yeah. Thanks, Garth.” They pulled away and he went to the drivers side of his car. “Alright. By the way.” He gave a rare serious look at them. “You two do anything to hurt her,” he said pointing at me, “I’ll come and kick your asses.” 

I chuckled at their dumbfounded looks. “Noted Garth.” I said to him. Eventually they both smiled.

“Alright. Sayonara, kemosabes!” Then he pointed at the car we were using at the moment. “Nice ride.” Dean leaned against the car. 

Garth got in his car and started his engine. “You’re right.” Sam said. “He has grown on me.” I smiled brightly at that. 

Garth drove away with music blaring through his windows. We all waved him goodbye. Not a beat later, Sam said, “Alright, um...so let’s talk about it.” 

My smile disappeared. I knew exactly what he wanted to talk about. Dean, not so much, “About what? Oh, the, uh, talking board? That’s fine. I get it, I guess.” 

“No. Not that. Look, I heard you guys.” 

“Heard us what?” 

“What happened in the brewery, Dean?” Sam asked. I decided to stay quiet. 

“Nothing. It was, uh-it was just my imagination.” We walked back into the room. 

“Dean, look, I know something happened. I just want you to be straight with me.” 

I gave Dean a nod. Then he said, “The blade was across the room. And then it was in my hand. And then my beer drank itself, and then that page magically appeared on the bed. And-and then Bobby’s book fell down and popped the number of the guy who found Cas. _Nothing_ , I’m sure.” 

“Clearly.” 

“Well then what, Sam? Is Bobby here or not?” They both looked at me. I held up my hands and stayed silent. I wanted no part of this. 

“You know what I think, Dean? I think that regular people, they see ones they lost everywhere too.” 

“Yeah, freakin’ ghosts!” 

“Or they just miss ‘em a lot. I mean, they see a face in a crowd, we see a book falling off the table. Same thing, Dean. I did the talking board, I ran plenty of EMF. When that beer went poof – I went a little nuts.” 

“Yeah, why didn’t you tell me?” 

“Like I said, little nuts at the time.” 

“Alright, well if it wasn’t Bobby, then what Jedi’d that sword into my hand?” 

“The Shojo slammed the door from across the room. Maybe it was trying to grab the sword, too.” I wanted to say something to that. I wanted to tell them that no, it wasn’t the Shojo, it was something else. Something that _could_ be Bobby. But I stayed silent. 

Dean cleared his throat. “Right. Right, I mean if it was Bobby, he would let us know. I mean, who knows more about being a ghost than Bobby? Instant _Swayze_ , right?”

“Exactly.” Sam said, 

I shook my head at that, but they didn’t seem to notice. I went over to my bag, which was sitting on the table and threw it over my shoulder. “Okay. Okay, you-so your theory is that-that we’re practically regular people about something for once. Alright.” 

They both grabbed their own bags. “Well, you want to grab some brunch and brews?” Dean asked. I just laughed at him. 

“Ugh, no. I’m so hung over. Let’s just hit the road.” Sam said. 

“Now my designated driver job doesn’t look so bad.” I quipped. 

They both laughed at that. “Alright.” Dean said as he opened the door. I went through first and went to the car. I got in the back while Sam and Dean sat up front. Then Dean said, “Hang on.” He ran out and got back his flask. 

“You would lose your head if it wasn’t attached.” I said. 

“Yeah. Yeah.” He said with a wave of annoyance. Then We drove off. 


	13. Of Grave Importance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys get a surprise call from a friend. When we go to meet her, she’s missing. So we search for her, but we find someone else that I wasn’t happy to see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Geez! Already at 13 out of 17! I’ve had this season written for a while now and I’ve been working on season 8. Already almost to the finale of that one and will start on nine. So thanks for reading! Enjoy this chapter which will focus on reader’s abilities a lot more and how they work.-Indigo

“ _Be strong. Even when your bones feel like they cannot carry the weight of your soul_.”-K. Azizian 

  
  
  


A few days after Kansas, we were on the side of the road. Dean went off to get us some dinner. I was writing in my journal, laying against the windshield and the hood of the car while Sam leaned against it. “What are you writing about?” Sam asked. I paused my pen. A wave of curiosity came off him. Nothing out of the ordinary, but I didn’t want to tell him about what I was actually writing about: Bobby. 

Sam had logic’d his way through it, and somehow convinced Dean. His argument was compelling, but they didn’t know what I did. I was really starting to think that Bobby was haunting us. I was still wrestling with the facts that were laid out, but the day before, I might as well have confirmed it. 

While driving in the afternoon, Dean dropped his Flash in the backseat to drive. I went to pick it up, to place it in his bag, but when I touched it I had that warm glow to my spine again. It was practically burning when I froze for a moment with the leather bound flask in my hand. A spirit had attached itself to the flask, and I knew it. Bobby was with us. 

I didn’t want to believe it, so I threw the flask in the bag and didn’t say another word for fifty miles. That night, I had to lie to Sam, and I hated it. “Just about the Shojo. Documentation and all that crap.” 

He nodded, satisfied by my lie. I felt dirty and not in the fun way. Thankfully, Dean came back to be a buffer. “Alright, here we go.” 

I closed my journal up and sat cross legged on the hood, scooting closer to the boys' backs. Dean leaned next to Sam while we used the surface as a table. “You know...even though the world is going to crap, there’s one thing that I can always count on-these things tasting the same in every drive-through in every state of our great nation.” He thought out loud. 

I took out a few tacos while Sam sipped on his soda. After a moment or two, a phone started ringing. I knew it wasn’t mine ‘cause I had left it in the back of the car. It was coming from Dean. “Annie.” A wave of surprise came from him. “A nice surprise. How you been?” 

After a moment, a wave of grief came from him too, “Yeah. Us too. What’s up?” _They're talking about Bobby_. I thought. I twisted the ring around my finger remembering my lie to Sam. “You working?” He asked her. “Near enough...one o’clock?” 

He hung up. “Who was that?” I asked. 

“A friend of ours. She’s in Bodegabay.” 

“What she want, a date or something?” I asked, chuckling a little. They both sent out little waves of embarrassment. _Oh, so they both have history with her._

Dean smirked. “She has a few of Bobby's books. We’re going to lunch to pick them up and catch up.” 

“Alright.” Sam said. 

We high tailed it from there and made it to the restaurant right on time. I heard of Annie before from Bobby, just never had the pleasure of meeting her. But from the boys, she sounded great.

We sat at a table surrounded by windows at a restaurant on the pier. We all ordered coffee as we waited for her. Dean was obsessing again over Dick Roman. “Hey, get this. Dick Roman is funding another archaeological dig. Guy moves more dirt than _The Drudge Report._ ” 

“Well, anything on what he’s digging for?” Sam asked. 

“Don’t you think I would have led with that.” 

“You’re snappy today.” I said dryly as I sipped on my coffee. “Worried that she stood us up?” 

Sam sighed. “Annie’s not usually this late, is she?” He asked. Concern started to waft off both of them. 

“No, never. She’s totally compulsive. I’ll try her cell.” Dean said. 

Sam then smiled a bit as he put down his menu. “You know, Uh, you know she and Bobby had a thing, right?” 

“So I’ve heard.” I said as I held my mug in my hands infront of my face, held up on my elbows on the table. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I knew that.” Dean was trying to play it off. “Really?” He asked. 

“Yeah. Kind of a foxhole thing-very Hemingway.” Sam told him. 

“Huh.” Dean started the call. While waiting for her to pick up, he said. “She and I kind of went Hemingway this one time, too.” I fought a surprised laugh. 

Sam sent a wave of surprise then one of embarrassment. “Alright, well...that happens.” He gave him a look. 

“Oh...wow.” I said. I laughed a little. 

“What, you too?” Dean asked. 

“Look, it was a while back. We ended up on the same case. She was stressed. I-I-I...I didn’t...have a soul.” Sam rambled in a panic, avoiding all eye contact. 

“That’s a lot of foxholes.” 

I laughed again. They both looked at me with looks of ‘why the hell are you laughing?’ Written all over them. “Well...no judgement.” I said. “But uh...you know what they say, when you sleep someone, you sleep with everyone they’ve slept with too.” Sam looked away with a look of horror at that. “Again, no judgement.” I added. 

Dean ignored me and put his phone down. “She’s not answering. Well, here’s to ghosts that aren't there.” He poured some whiskey into his mug from the flask. 

“You sound kind of disappointed.” Sam said. I noticed a pang of sadness from Dean. He really did miss Bobby. 

“Ah, its better this way. I mean, even though I wish we could see him again doesn’t mean we should.” 

“Yeah. It’s for the best.” I said and we clinked our mugs together in a silent toast. 

“Are we being stood up?” Concern and worry began to wash over all of us. Clearly this wasn’t like Annie, and knowing her occupation, it could very well not be that. 

“Yeah, let's hope that’s all this is.” Sam said. They went back to staring at the menus. But I stayed quiet. I stared at the very still flask on the table. I’ve refrained from touching it, but as I watched it go from not moving to moving, my heart jumped into my throat. I kept calm and tried not to freak out. I didn’t need the boys going back on the ‘whether or not Bobby was there’ fight again. And I just wanted to ignore it. 

…

After lunch, we walked back to the car. I was smiling as I took in the ocean air. It had been a long time since I was on the coast, and to be frank, I missed it. Still, the boys were trying to track down Annie. “Nothing?” Sam asked. 

“Straight to voicemail. Somethings not right.” Dean said putting his phone away. 

“What’s she doing in Bodega Bay?” I asked him. 

“She’s working some kind of job. She didn’t really say.” Dean got out the flask again and took a swig, but found that there was nothing left. He drank it all. “I got to get a refill.” 

“You know what, man?” Sam gently said, despite sending out another wave of frustration. “Why don’t you, uh, just pack it away for a while? All it does is remind us of him, you know?” 

“Yeah, I thought about that…” Dean looked down at the thing. “But, uh...not yet.” He pocketed it and went around the car to the drivers side. “Let’s go check out Annie’s hotel room.” 

We all jumped in the car and headed to the motel we tracked her down to. I stayed quiet as the boys chatted. The moment I got in the car, I felt waves of extra energy. Nothing strong enough to determine who it was, but enough to know that it was there. I put an extra wall up trying to ignore the thing. Knowing full well it could have been Bobby. 

We found Annie’s room, Annie’s research, but no Annie. Dean was looking through it on her bed while Sam and I went through the papers on the table. “These go back years...disappearances never solved.” I said to them. “It’s like the locals gave up.” 

“They stop a few decades back, then pick up again just recently. All teenagers.” Sam said. 

Dean, not looking up from his paper, said “Looks like Annie found a spot a lot of them liked to poke around just before they went missing.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah. Old Van Ness House.” Dean stood up and showed us the info. “It’s, uh, cheery.” 

There was a picture, clearly the opposite. All American gothic and dark. “Wonderful vacation spot I bet.” I said dryly. 

“Well,” Sam started. “The police combed the place. They always come up dry.” 

“Yeah, local law. Always on the ball.” Dean said with a dry voice. 

“So, built in 1862 by the Van Ness family who lost it in the early 1900’s. Put up for sale a few years back. No takers.” 

“Probably ‘cause it creeps their quaso.” Dean said. I smirked, but stayed quiet. The hair on the back of my neck was standing up. The thing that was in the car was now in the room with us. 

“It’s just been sitting there, boarded up, for ages. Oh. Get this.” Sam said as Dean looked up from his papers. “I guess a couple months back, someone put it one one fo those, uh, ‘most haunted houses in America’ lists.” 

“Of course they did.” I scoffed. 

“Let me guess-that’s when the, uh, teenagers started to go missing.” Dean asked. 

“Yep.” Sam said. 

“You know there’s a reason why I hate those lists.” I added. “And ghost fanatics who have no idea what’s really out there.” 

“Yeah, I say we get rolling.” Dean said finally. We left the room heading straight to the Van Ness house. Breaking in wasn’t hard as the lock was still broken. We all turned on our flashlights and headed in. 

I was immediately hit with spiritual energy. My spine was on fire as I walked in and began to get a headache. “Honey I’m home.” Dean said after a moment not noticing that I stopped. 

“Shut up.” I snapped at him, not meaning to, his voice only adding to my headache. 

They both turned to look at me. “What’s up?” Dean asked. “Disturbance in the force?” 

I would have laughed if I wasn’t fighting off the cold pain on my forehead. “I have every wall up right now, and my alarm bells are going off like freakin’ Norte Dam. This place...it’s all over. It’s Everywhere.” 

“You okay?” Sam asked, moving closer to me. 

“Yeah...I just Uh...I’m gonna go wait in the car.” I turned and practically ran out of the house. 

I sat in the car, worried as night fell. I would see signs of them flashing their lights in the window, and Sam was checking up on me very five minuets via text. 

**Coming out**. 

He last texted me five minutes before. Let me tell you, I was so happy to see them when they emerged from the house. I practically leapt for joy. I got out from the front seat. “Definitely haunted.” Dean said as they walked towards the car and I. 

“And Annie?” I asked.

“We found her phone. But not her. And listen to this.” Sam held up a cellphone. He played on speaker voice mail. 

In a quick and small female voice, it said, “Free me! Free me!” 

“That’s an EVP.” I said. 

“Yep. And EMF is off the charts.” Dean said. We all got in the car to continue talking. “Where’d Annie get her intel? Do we know?” He asked as he took a drink from his flask. 

“Bodega Bay Heritage Society.” Sam said, holding up a travel booklet. 

“It might be still open.” I said looking at my watch. “Let’s go.” 

As we drove to the museum, the presence returned to sit next me in the back. I sat stiffly as we went down the road. Dean then glanced at me through the rear view mirror. “Hey, ESP, You okay?” 

“Yeah...still reeling from the place. And I’m now realizing I’m probably going to have to go back in…” 

“Why?” A wave of protectiveness came from Sam. “You don’t have to-“ 

“I have to do my job Sam. And I have a feeling that in order to get answers is for me to walk in and talk to someone. Someone you boys can’t see or hear.” 

“Like Jennifer Love Huiett?” Dean asked with a knowing smirk. 

“Kind of, but less sexy. And more terrifying.” I smiled back. “I don’t like the place. It had all sorts of negative energy, and if I was smart, I would turn tail and run.” 

Sam chuckled. “We’re not _that_ smart though.” 

“No we are not.” I replied. 

…

We made it to the museum just in time before it closed. And lucky for us we found a bearded, gentleman historian to give us some info. “The house dates back to the mid-nineteenth century. Miles Van Ness made his fortune in the gold rush, eventually settling his family in Bodega Bay.” 

“Anything...unusual ever happen in the house?” Sam asked him. 

“Oh, over the course of a century, things are going to happen in a house. Some locals swear its haunted.” 

“Really?” I asked with a knowing smile.

“Every village had its idiots.” The man said. I chuckled at that. 

“We only want the real scoop, of course.” Dean said. 

He gestured towards a portrait of a man in his late thirties. “Whitman Van Ness. Son and heir. Handsome, charming, dogged by tragedy all his life. He lost the family fortune, then the house. It became a bordello.” _Fancy word for brothel_ , I thought. “He lived in isolation till his death at age 40.”

Dean then pointed to a picture of Whitman Van Ness with a large man who was much shorter than him. “Who’s the, uh, the bruiser there?”

“Dexter O’Connell. A convict. An extremely violent man.”

I nodded. “Could you tell us more about him?” 

“Mr. Van Ness was socially progressive and took pity on him. He worked as groundskeeper. Dexter was convicted for murdering Whitman's fiancée on the eve of their wedding. Another calamitous event in the poor man's life.” 

“Well, thank you.” Dean said, but before we could go off, the historian continued. 

“The house is popular this week.” 

Sam furrowed his eyebrows. “What do you mean?” 

“A lady came by the other day asking all sorts of questions.” 

I raised my eyebrows as Dean said, “Uh, thirties, red hair, good looking?” I internally rolled my eyes at the comment. 

“Mm. I gave her the same advice I’ll give to you. Stay away from the place. It’s extremely unsafe.” 

We all nod. “Thank you for your time.” I said and we left. “That wasn’t ominous whatsoever.” I whispered dryly to them. 

We went back to the hotel, trying to get our bearings on things. Dean was taking a shower while Sam and I continued research. The presence was still around us, and the longer it was there, the more I thought it was Bobby. I spent the majority of the time after we got back trying to work up the courage to tell them. 

“So besides Whitman’s fiancée, Dexter O’Connell was also convicted of killing a bunch of hookers who worked at the brothel.” I shook my head at that. _Why do sex workers always get the short end of the stick?_ , I thought. Still, Sam stood reading to Dean. “He escaped before they could hang him. But then returned to the house, where he was shot to death.” I furrowed my eyebrows at that. That didn’t make a lick of sense. “Why would he escape and then go right back to the house where he got arrested?” Sam asked out loud. 

Dean, yelling from the shower, “I don’t know. Add that to a list of things I don’t know.” 

“So What’s our next move?” I asked as I laid out on the couch covering my face with my elbow. My headache returned but not in full swing. Dean didn’t answer. 

“You okay?” Sam asked me. 

“Residual energy sometimes causes headaches.” I said automatically. “I’ll be fine, but…”

“But What?” I moved my arm and looked up at him. 

“But…” I sat up. “There’s something we all need to talk about.” 

Before Sam could respond, Dean called out names. 

“What?” 

“Tell me one of you wrote that.” Sam and I got up and went to the bathroom. 

In the steam of the mirror, was four words. “ _Annie trapped in house_.” 

“Uh… No. No, I didn’t.” Sam said then they looked at me. 

I shook my head. “I didn’t do that.” Fear gripped me. “I need to tell you boys something.” As I stared at the writing. “I’ve been sensing a presence following us all day.” 

“And now you decide to tell us?” Dean asked with a wave of anger and confusion. 

“Been kind of distracted Dean. With murder house on the hill!” I snapped. 

“Well, then, who’s there?” He asked. “I said, who’s there?!” 

My stomach churned as I felt the energy again. This time much stronger. The hot water faucet on the sink turned and more steam began to rise. Eventually, more letters started to appear. First a “B”, then an “O” and so on, to form “ _Bobby_.” 

“Bobby?” Realization fell over the two of them as I stood in horror. “Bobby?” Dean said again. “This whole time, we’ve been trying to talk ourselves out of it, he’s been-What’s he doing here?” 

“Dammit you stubborn old man.” I said. Fighting tears. 

Sam picked up the old flask and showed it to Dean. “Dude.” 

“We got to get back to the house, stat.” We rushed out as Dean said, “Show time ESP.” 

“Yeah, I know.” I grumbled. 

...

We hauled ass to the house. As we drove down the street, I started to prepare myself. Taking down every wall took time sometimes, especially going into a location with that many spirits. I told the boys I needed quiet as I got myself ready. I kept steady breathing, and ignored my sadness and anger at Bobby. 

Eventually we pulled up in front of it. We got out of the car and went to the back to grab the salt guns. Dean then said “We combed the crap out of this place. If Annie’s in there and we didn’t find her…” 

“It’s cause something didn’t want us to.” Sam Replied. 

“Awesome. Well, let’s walk right into that.” 

“Boys.” They both looked at me. “Just...ground rules. I’m really sensitive right now. To everything. Keep the emotions at a minimum if you can. And once we’re in there, my focus won’t be fighting the spirits. It’s talking to them. So I’m...vulnerable. Got my six?” 

Dean and Sam both nodded and handed me one of the saltguns. “Yeah, always.” Sam said, grasping my shoulder. He stared at me for a moment. His eyes were on the darker side in the moonlight. I nodded with a gentle smile, knowing he was on the panicked side, trying to assure him. 

“Let’s go.” I said. 

We walked inside. Thankfully the energy of the spirits didn’t hit me like a truck, being more prepared this time around, more like it came at me a little slower. Enough so that I wouldn’t get a migraine. Still, my spine was on fire as I used my flash light to look around. 

Aura’s were all over the place. It was hard to focus on just one. _Damn I wish I had a gear on Annie_. Sam then said, “Alright. I’ll check upstairs.” 

“Yeah.” Dean said. 

“Be careful.” I told him as he climbed the steps. _Please be careful Sam_. I thought. 

“Annie?” Dean called out. 

“Annie. If you can hear me, come forward. I can sense spirits. I can help you.” 

“Annie! It’s Dean! And Sam.” Dean called again. A thud hit the floor in front of me. I looked down to see a video camera. “That’s not odd.” 

I put away the flashlight and used my free hand to pick up the camera and opened it. “Get Sam.” I said as I turned it on. 

“Sam, get back down here! Annie?” I handed it to Dean as I sensed two spirits in front of me. 

“Hello? I can sense you.” I stared at them. One was a strong yellow. _Fearful_. One that had been around for a while. The other was weaker. A pale blue. _Seeking_. “Please. I can help. I’m looking for a woman named Annie. You need to manifest. Please.” 

“Hey Jedi?” Dean said, “Take a look at this.” I turned and walked to look at the video camera. 

Two teenage boys were on it. “ _The final moments of their love story_.” 

“ _They’ve been together since like eighth grade._ ” 

“ _Yeah. They entered this house and texted us._ ” 

“Oh, I hate these indie films. Nothing ever happens.” Dean quipped. I rolled my eyes at that. 

“ _They came into the house. They walked through these halls_.” Then there was a disturbance in the film. 

“Did you see that?” I asked. 

“Wait, Wait. Pause it. Frame back a little bit.” Dean did as Sam asked. “Stop.” 

On a single frame, a red headed woman with a blue jacket was seen on the recording. She had that same blue aura. I looked up as Dean said, “she’s here, and not in a good way.” 

“Yeah. And she’s right in front of us.” I said, staring at the blue. 

They both stared at me a moment. “Annie?”

I swallowed and stepped forward again. “Before there were two. Now...there’s three.” The third was red. _Strength_. _Bobby_ , I thought. 

“Really?” Sam asked with a bit of hope. “Annie!” He called out. 

“Please. I can only speak with you if you manifest. I know it isn’t easy. But please. One of you must.” I told the auras. 

After a few moments, the yellow aura manifested. “Woah!” Dean and Sam yelled as they raised their guns. It was a woman in a red, Victorian age dress, and brown curly hair. 

“It's okay!” I said holding a hand to them. They lowered the guns. 

“Please. I’m Victoria. Victoria Dodd.” 

I smiled gently. “Hello.” I introduced myself and the boys. 

Then Sam said, “Where’d you come from?” 

“Here...I was a fancy lady.” 

“A hooker?” Dean asked. 

“Shut up.” I barked at him. “Victoria...is Annie here?” I asked. 

“Yes. You can’t see her.” Both boys moved to get out of her way or something. 

I rolled my eyes. “No, you’re not standing on her.” I said then turned back to Victoria. 

She heard someone else speak to her, and said, “I will. In my day, we believed in polite conversation.” She turned back to us. “Annie’s in terrible danger. We all are.” 

“From?” I asked. 

“Whitman Van Ness.” 

“But he’s dead.” Dean said. 

“They all are genius.” I said dryly. 

“I thought you said they were good.” She said to the voice again. 

“Just processing, okay, lady? He’s dead. you're dead.” Dean told her. 

She flickered a little. “Forgive him. He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed sometimes.” I said, ignoring Dean’s defensive wave. “What did you mean by ‘terrible danger?’” 

“Whitman has great power over all of us in the house. He killed Annie. She says you can free us. Please, you must-“ 

Before another word could be said, a great energy burned through the house, and Victoria burst into flames. Within a few seconds, she was gone. “Victoria?!” I shouted out. 

“I’m gonna say she was telling the truth, considering that she just got...ghost killed.” I staggered and grabbed Sam’s arm. He asked, “Hey? You okay?” 

“It’s too much...we need to finish this, but…” 

“It’s okay. Just do what you need to do.” Sam said. “You did great.” 

I smirked at him. “Thanks.” I began to put up every wall and block I had. Using almost all my focus to do so. 

Sam then said, “So, What? Whitman Van Ness?” 

“Now we know whose bones to salt and burn. Let’s go.” Dean said. 

…

We headed out of there fast, But with nowhere to start burning bones. I was focused on keeping my walls up. Blocking any and all spiritual energy from me. I was exhausted from it. I slumped in the back seat with my eyes closed. Still, I spoke with the boys. 

Sam, from shot gun and his laptop in his lap, said, “Alright. Here we go-cemetery, edge of town. The Van Ness family has its own mausoleum.” 

“Of course they did.” I said from the back. “From hearing about the man, it sounds like his family was pretentious enough.” 

“Alright,” Dean said. “We light up the bastard and finish him off.” 

I opened my eyes as I felt the car speed up. “Take it easy. We’ll get there.” Sam said. 

A wave of panic came from Dean, “Uh, that’s not me.” My eyes grew wide as the wheel started to turn on its own. Dean held on to it, trying to keep it steady. 

I let my walls down again, there was a black aura sitting right next to me, crouching over Dean. “Dean!” I shouted at the thing manifested. It was Van Ness. He began fighting with Dean, causing the wheel to turn and the car to swerve. 

Dean managed to brake and stop the car. I climbed out so fast I nearly ate pavement. “Why’s he with us?!” I shrieked. 

“I don’t know. There’s got to be something on us!” Dean yelled as we started looking into our pockets. 

“Hey. Hey!” Sam said as he held up an old key. Panic and fear came from him as Van Ness appeared again and stuck his hand through Sam’s back. 

“Sam!” Dean and I shouted. Dean then rushed to his brother and took the key from his hand. 

As Dean tossed it to the ground as I shouted at the spirit. “Get away from him!” 

After a shot, the ghost vanished and Sam gasped a breath of air. Dean and I both out hands on him to steady him. “Did that do it? Did that get rid of him?” He asked as we looked for it. 

Dean said breathlessly. “I got a bad idea we just snapped him back to his favorite house.” 

“Where Annie’s a sitting duck.” I said. 

“We got to find those bones. Come on.” We all got back into the car and sped away. My heart rate didn’t go down for the rest of the ride. Or for the jog to the Mausoleum. 

We searched for Van Ness’s final resting place, but thankfully we found it. “It’s here!” I said when I spotted his name. 

Dean took out a hammer and crowbar to open up the concrete panel. Sam and I held up flashlights with shaky hands for him. “Dean we gotta hurry.” Sam said. 

“I know!” Dean said as he got the panel off. It came down with a loud thud and we worked to pull out the wooden coffin. Between the three of us, it was on the floor in seconds. Dean pried the lid open as I grabbed the salt. I began pouring as Sam sprayed lighter fluid over the bones. In silent seconds, Dean lit a match and the bones began burning. 

For the first time that night, I felt like I could breathe. 

…

We went back to the house, begrudgingly on my part, to see if we could find Annie’s body. Knowing that Van Ness was gone, it probably would be easier to find it. When we returned, my spine still burned when we entered the foyer, but this time, we saw someone we never expected. 

“Hi kids.” Bobby said as he saw us. We all stopped in our tracks, staring at him. Shock came from both boys as well mine mixed with my anger and grief. 

“Bobby?” Dean said. 

“Wait. You can see me?” The man asked with a slack jaw. He stood and smiled a little at us. We watched in silence. I would have bet the boys thought this was a dream. I was wishing it was a nightmare. “You’re staring, you know. Annie’s here, too, by the way.” 

“Hi Annie.” Dean said. 

“H-hi Annie.” Sam said. My walls were down enough to sense Annie’s aura next to him. 

“I sense her.” I said quietly. 

“She says you both look uglier than she remembered.” Bobby said with a smile. 

Even though I was angry with him, I smiled a little, it was good to see that man smile. “Bobby, h-how’d you stay here?” Sam asked. 

“Yeah, well, uh…” Bobby moved to a desk on the side of the room. He opened the drawer and took out the damn flask. He tossed it to Dean. “Suck on that, Swayze.” 

“You attached yourself to it.” I said staring at the thing, then back at him. 

Sam then said, “That’s why you never answered me. I tried calling you-the, uh, talking board, the works-but I was always alone. Dean always had that thing in his pocket. That’s why the EMF only went off half the time. We thought we were going crazy.” 

My smile disappeared. “Tell me what happened. Please...please tell me you got stuck.” I was fighting tears. “That you didn’t do this on purpose.” 

“I wanted to stay.” 

Dean then caught up with my anger. A wave of concern came over him. “Bobby.” 

“I need to help.” Bobby said. 

“Not if it means you have to...be this.” Sam said. 

“Well, life wasn’t comfy. Why should death be? Now-“ 

“Bobby.” I said, anger coming through my voice. “Why? You know what happens to spirits. What happens when a soul gets stuck. You _know_.” 

“I’ll explain later. Now, come on. Annie and I found all the bodies. Let’s put ‘em to rest. And keep my damn flask away from the fire...obviously.” 

We all watched him head up the stairs. He looked down and asked, “Well, you coming?” 

I wiped a few tears away. “Stubborn old man.” I mumbled as we followed him. 

…

We burned everybody in the house. A part of me wanted to steal the flask and throw it in too, but I couldn’t do that to the boys. As conflicted as they were, they both gave off waves of joy when they saw him again. I couldn’t do that to them. 

Once we were done, we went back to the car in silence and threw the guns and crap back in the trunk. Bobby then walked over to us. “I’ll miss her.” 

“Me too.” Dean said with a wave of grief. 

“Yeah.” Sam said. 

“Well, you didn’t know her like I did.” Bobby said. To which Dean and I both laughed. 

Dean then said, “Well, uh…” Dean took out the flask. “Here’s to Annie. She got the hunter’s funeral she wanted.” He took a swig. Then said harshly, “Kind of like the one we thought we gave you.” 

Bobby gave out a a wave of guilt. “Dean.” Sam warned. 

“No I think he’s right.” I said. Sam gave me a surprised look. But I just stared Bobby down. “Bobby. What were you thinking?” 

Dean then continued. “You could be in Heaven right now, drinking beer at Harvelle’s, not-not stuck…” 

“Stuck here with you? We still have work to do.” He reasoned. “I just thought that was kind of important, Dean.” 

I grit my teeth, “you selfish...stubborn, old man. You _screwed_ yourself.” 

“Yeah. I know.” 

“No, you don’t Bobby! You screwed yourself _and_ us. You're going to turn into one of the things we hunt. And we’re all going to have to go through the same crap we had to when you died, all over again! I can’t do that Bobby! I can’t!” 

Bobby vanished with a stern look. I just huffed and went to the back of the car. Not caring about the boys’ frustrations. 

I laid back in my seat with my arms crossed. I was fuming at Bobby. Still, the boys needed to talk about it. “So, What do you think we should do?” Sam asked after they climbed into the car. 

“We did what we should do. Now, I don’t know.” Dean said with a wave of frustration. 

“I mean, do you think it’s possible we could-I don’t know-make it all work somehow?” 

He sighed in response, then said, “I have no idea. Maybe. I've never heard of it. But you know what I do know? It ain't the natural order of things. Everything is supposed to end. You know, he was supposed…And now...What are the odds this ends well?” 

I felt Bobby’s presence again in the backseat. I just turned away from it. Silently telling him to go away. “What are the odds?” Dean asked again. 

“They aren’t good.” I whispered before closing my eyes to sleep from the most exhausting night of my life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will post the next episode soon! So excited to get to season eight, its my favorite of the series, and it gets kind of crazy, but wanted to do seven in order to get all the amazing set up. Next time, we meet Charlie! Have fun and stay safe out there guys!-Indigo


	14. The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still dealing with the aftermath of finding out Bobby has stuck around, vital information that Frank had about us is in jeopardy and we find help in one of the most unlikely of people and become fast friends in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is my one of my favorites. I love Charlie dearly, in fact, her introductory episode was one of the first episodes I had seen of supernatural. Of course this was before I had watched it completely, but I love her. So enjoy!-Indigo

“ _Courage, dear heart_.”-C.S. Lewis 

  
  
  
  


I didn’t seem to calm down from the last hunt until a few days later. For the most part I stayed quiet. The boys both tried to talk to me, but I was still so angry. I didn’t want to scream at them. So I kept my mouth shut going through my anger in my own mind or in my journal. Eventually, Dean made me pancakes one morning, and I started to feel some normal again. 

I actually smiled and spoke a little bit more, which made both of them put out waves of relief. That’s when we got down to business. Roman had been pouring boat loads of money into archeological digs for months now, and we wanted to know why. We called every hunter we knew for any info, even for some fresh eyes.

Sam was getting off the phone, “Yeah, I hear you. Alright. Well, thanks for looking. Yep. Bye.” He hung up while Dean sat on the arm of the couch. I was sitting in the chair listening. “So, Nora didn’t see any pattern to the dig sites either.” Sam sat down on the couch. 

“Yeah, cause they got nothing in common. And I got nothing from local lore 50 miles in every direction of all of them. I mean, it's like they're just...old dirt. What’s Dick looking for?” Dean asked. 

He took a drink from his flask. The lights flickered a little as they both took out their guns and stood. I stayed in my seat knowing just who it was. Bobby then manifested in the corner. “Hey, hey, go easy, you Idjits. Sorry for the jump scare.” 

I looked away from him as my spine heated up in his presence. I took a breath as I listened to Dean, “so how does this work, Huh? I leave the cap off and you just genie your way out?” 

I chuckled at that. Bobby then said, “I wish it were that easy. The thing-“ he vanished. I shook my head and went back to reading. 

“Bobby?” Sam called out. Like clockwork, Bobby reappeared. 

“Dammit, it’s hard to stay focused, I’m still kind of worn out.” He said breathlessly. 

“You’ve been pretty busy for a dead guy.” Dean quipped. 

Bobby shook his head. “Alright. Listen. I-I don't know how long before my next ghost nap, so let's just skip to the skinny – those numbers I gave you.” 

“The empty lot in Cheeseville?” 

“Yeah, well, it ain’t gonna be empty for long. I got a gander at Dick’s big plan, right before he Lincoln’d me.” I looked up at that. “They’re breaking ground...what month is this?” 

“Uh-Uh, April.” Sam said. 

“Ground’s broke. They’re building as we’re yammering. Check it out yourself. It's all right. I mean, you guys missed it because you've been kind of busy killing ghosts the past few days.” Sam went to his laptop on the table. I got up from the chair and sat next to him to look over his shoulder. “But Dick is about to get into the Soylent Green business. That site’ll show you they’re building a biotech lab, right? Biotech my ass.” 

I stared at him as Bobby continued, “That sucker is a state of the art slaughterhouse. And we’re the beef.” 

I swallowed at the idea. “Don’t you think that’s a little bold, even for Dick?” Sam asked. 

“I bet you no one will even notice cause first, he’s gonna dumb us all down with Turducken-style munchies. Make us docile.” 

“Yeah, we haven’t been to Biggerson’s since that whole fiasco.” Dean told him. 

“Biggerson’s? He’s bought a list of joints ten pages long.” 

I raised my eyebrows at that. “Seriously?” I asked. 

“Next, he’s gonna cure us.” 

“Cure us of what?” Sam asked. 

“All the biggies-cancer, AIDS, heart disease. Let’s just say they got an affinity for stem-cell research.” 

“They, uh, Leviathan real-estate mooks building that cancer center.” Dean pointed out. 

“They’re not hunting anymore. They’re engineering the perfect herd.” 

“Oh god.” I mumbled. 

“Now, we've gone up against plenty liked to eat a few folk in the woods. This ain't that. This is about knocking us off the top of the food chain. This is about them Levis living here forever, one-percenter style, while we march our dopey, fat asses down to the shiny new death camps at every corner.” 

Dean had sat down, and a pit in my stomach formed. “What the hell are we gonna do?” I asked. 

Then a notification popped up on Sam’s laptop. “It’s an email...from Frank.” 

“Frank’s alive?” Dean asked as we crowded around the screen. 

“That jackass, always stealing my thunder.” Bobby mused. 

Sam then read off the email, “‘Sam and Dean if you’re reading this, I’m dead...or worse. This email was sent because some prince is trying to hack into my hard drive right this second. So unless its you, you got trouble.’” We all gave each other a glance. “Um...okay, ‘My drive is full of compromising info. Your new aliases, hangouts, where you stored your car…’” 

“Baby?” Dean said, I grabbed his shoulder to comfort him a little. 

“Even though he encrypted the crap out of this drive, he says we should assume that someone _can_ hack into it eventually. He did put a tracking device in it.” 

“Then we can try to get it back.” I said as Sam clicked through the email. 

“Alright, let’s see where Frank’s drive is.” 

It pulled up where the hard drive was. Located at Richard Roman Enterprises. “Oh crap.” I grumbled. 

Dean gave a wave of defeat. “Perfect. It’s in the middle of the Death Star.” Then he stood and said, “Alright, well, off to Chicago?” 

“What?” I asked. Staring at the man who was ready to break into the Leviathan den. “You can’t be serious.” 

Bobby seemed to think the same thing. “No, wait, you can't just break in. They know your mugs. What if we mailed in the flask? Then I could ghost through the joint. I mean, it's not like Dick can kill me twice.” I stood corrected, Bobby was ready to break in as well. We all stared at him. “What, you got a better plan? Come on. Just because I'm dead doesn't mean I don't know how to do my damn job.” 

“Bobby, that’s Dick’s office.” Sam said. 

Dean then said, “I think what Sam's trying to say is, what happens if you run into Dick and, you know...go vengeful. You know it's not something you can just shake off.”

“Come on. Give me some credit. What, I’m supposed to just ride the pine?” Bobby protested.

“Sorry, Bobby.” Sam said as he shut his laptop. 

I scoffed and shook my head. “What?” Dean asked. 

“I’m surrounded by the three most stubborn men I’ve ever met.” That earned chucked from them. “And I’m an idiot.” 

“Why?” Sam asked. 

“Cause I’m gonna help you infiltrate friggin the Death Star.” Dean just smirked at me and sent a wave of pride. We left for the road not long after. 

…

We tracked down the person responsible for hacking into the hard drive thanks to Frank. A young woman named Charlie Bradbury. We found her address and decided to break into her apartment. Well, Dean and Sam did, I thought it was a bad idea. 

The three of us walked in quietly, a placed filled with light and lots of fandom memorabilia for _Lord of the Rings_ and _Harry Potter._ Still, we started looking for anything about the harddrive. Dean and I were looking in one room when the lock on the door turned and someone came in. 

We hid behind a wall from the person, praying that they wouldn’t call the cops. Then I heard a woman, who was all waves of panic, “Hey, Pete, sorry I left without telling you….no, just wasn’t...feeling well, it’s a...lady thing.” She lied. “I will be in first thing. Got to go-cramps.” 

Then Dean went to move from one wall to the next. She saw a reflection or something because she bolted to the door. Dean beat her to it and slammed it shut. “It’s alright. I’m not gonna hurt you.” 

“Get away from me, you…” she picked up a plastic sword. I moved behind Dean. “You shapeshifters!” 

Sam then came up being her, “look, we’re not shapeshifters.” That was a big mistake as she slashed into him, breaking the sword. “Geez!” 

I instinctively took the broken sword from her. “Look! We’re not Leviathans, okay?” She proceeded to back away to the wall. 

Dean then stepped in. “You want us to prove it? You know what borax does to them?” He pulled out a bottle of cleaner fluid from his jacket. 

“Yeah.” She said in a small voice. 

“Here.” I took the bottle and poured it on my wrist, showing I wasn’t a Levi. “Sam?” He held his out as I poured for him. Then Dean took the bottle and poured over his skin. 

“Your turn.” He said and handed her the bottle. She poured over her hand with a wave of determination, but she was still scared. “Good.” 

Dean took the bottle back as she asked, “Who the hell are you guys?” 

We proceeded to sit down in her living room and gave her the talk. Monsters are real. And we hunted them. The whole song and dance. After the talk, she said, “So you're saying, you guys are monster hunters. So, there are other monsters? 

We would have answered her, but she said “Stop. Never mind. Just shh. Okay, I get how you tracked the drive – straight GPS – but it's still at the office. How did you find _me_?”

Sam cleared his throat and opened up his laptop and showed her the video Frank’s harddrive took of her and sent to us. “Aw! Son of a gun jacked my webcam?!” She said. I smirked a little. 

“Welcome to Frank.” Dean said. 

“It’s creepy, but I’ll give it to him. So you’re telling me everything he had on his drive is true.” 

“That and more.” I said to her. 

“Wait. How long did it take you to crack into Frank’s drive?” Sam asked. 

“A day or so.” I raised my eyebrows as the boys exchanged looks. We all gave off waves of surprise. 

“Is there anything you can’t hack into?” Sam asked. 

“Not yet.” 

“How about Dick Roman’s email?” 

“Why would I...Oh. He’s one of them. 

“No.” Sam said, “Uh, he’s their leader.” 

She looked at Dean. “So what’s the end game-steak our resources, make us some slaves?” 

“Planet-wide value meal. We’re the meat.” I gave him a look for his bluntness. 

“Way to sugarcoat it Dean.” I said to him dryly. 

Charle laughed, “You can’t be...serious.” She dropped the smile. “Alright. Let’s do this. What am I looking for?” She went to the table where her laptop was sitting. 

“Well for starters, uh, anything about archaeological dig sites.” Sam said. 

“Like _Indiana_ _Jones_ stuff?” I smirked at that too. 

“Something like that. We don’t know.” I told her. 

“All we know,” Dean said, “is that Dick has been digging all over the world, and we need to know what he’s looking for.” 

She proceeded to type. “You know, I was having a really good week. I met someone, downloaded the new Robyn album. Everything was coming up me. Oh, crap.” 

“Look, we get it sucks.” Sam started. 

“No, not that. This. Dick’s email isn’t on the company server. It’s on a private one, in his office.” 

“Oh crap.” I mumbled. 

Dean ignored me. “Meaning?” 

“Can’t get in it unless you have his phone or you’re at his desk.” She explained. 

“So you’re saying that if we’re inside Dick’s office, then we can hack into his email?” 

She smiled a little, “You can't. Only someone like...But I sure as hell ain't doing it.” That smile disappeared. “I am doing my job and...What are the chances I see everything on that drive and Dick lets me live anyway?” Fear and panic rose from her. 

“I think you know.” I said gently. “I’m sorry.” 

“So I erase the drive first, protect me and you, then go back to my old life, right?” We exchanged a look. “What?” She asked. 

Dean then said, “It’s not that easy. You’re on Dick’s radar, which means you don’t have an old life anymore.” 

“I’m gonna die.” She said candidly. “I should have taken that job at Google.” 

“Charlie.” She looked straight at me as I spoke. “You’re not gonna die. We won’t let that happen.” 

Sam then said, as he picked up his laptop and stood to leave, “Look, Charlie, it’s okay if you can’t do it. I mean, you didn’t volunteer for this.” 

“Totally. Exactly. But now I volunteer.” A wave of determination came through. 

“What?” 

I couldn’t help by smile. “I got to go back in anyways to wipe Frank’s drive.” She said. “Might as well break into Dick’s office too.” 

“Are you sure?” He asked. 

“No. But these things are gonna eat everyone I know. What kind of douchebag stands by for that? However, I have never broken into anything in real life before, so...plan?” 

We all got up and went to sit at the table. “You got a Bluetooth?” Dean asked. 

“Yeah.” 

“Security system, can you get into that?” I asked her. 

“I can reroute any surveillance cameras we need.” 

“Alright. Let’s start with that.” Dean said. 

“Do you have a key to get in the building?” Sam asked. 

“Uhm yeah. I can’t duplicate it but I can make a fake backing, so that…” We worked for the afternoon together on a plan to get Charlie in and out. Talked for hours. Once we had it down, we were all starving. 

So Charlie wanted to walk and get pizza since we had some time to kill before after hours at Romans. I volunteered to go with her, after many promises to be careful and a double check that my gun was in proper condition from Dean. 

The sun was setting on the Chicago street. I liked Charlie, I realized. She was sweet and had a deep love of all things nerd. Also, once her panic and fear left, she had a frequent streak of excitement and bravery from her. It reminded me of both Sam and Dean. I smiled at that. 

“Hey? You okay?” She asked. 

I realized that I had zoned out. “Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking.” 

“So…” she said, throwing her hands into her hoodie pockets. 

“So?” 

She stopped on the pavement and asked, “are you and Sam an item?” 

My eyes grew wide. “What? No. No...no” I laughed. “We’re just friends.” 

She nodded. “Okay. It just...back there it seemed like, you know…” 

My thoughts immediately went back to earlier that afternoon. We spent it planning and plotting for the most part, but...I kept catching Sam staring at me. Always looking away when I glanced back. I couldn’t blame him. I was doing it too. 

I had been thinking about him. A lot. I loved how brave he was. How gentle. He was easy on the eyes too. But...there was a part of me that wasn’t sure if I had wanted to go there. I loved the friendship we had built. I didn’t want to jeopardize it. I just said to her, “yeah, we’re just...we’re close.” 

She just smiled at that with a wave of amusement. 

…

Sitting in front of Roman’s building was a dark Van. Dean and I climbed inside to find Sam using Charlie’s laptop. “How’s it going?” Dean asked. We sat down next to Sam. 

“Great, since she set all this up. Um, look.” Sam said then pulled up security footage. “See this? I can put each camera on a prerecorded loop. Once I do that, she’ll have fifteen minutes.” 

“Fifteen minutes ain’t a lot of time.” Dean said with a wave of protectiveness. 

“No. She said if it took longer to hack his desktop, then she deserved to be eaten.” We all smiled at that. 

“I like her.” Dean said to which I quietly agreed. We watched Charlie for a moment standing outside of the entrance. “Wait. Is that…Son of a bitch.” 

“What?” Sam and I said at the same time. 

“Look at her bag.” We looked closer, and Bobby’s flask is in the side pocket. 

“Dammit you stubborn old man.” I said once I saw it. 

“Bobby. Wait. Y-you think he, uh-“ 

“Hitched a ride after we told him to cool his jets? Yeah. What the hell’s he thinking?” Dean asked, 

“He’s not...Dammit.” I said again. 

“So what do we do-call the whole thing off?” Sam asked. 

“We’ve only got one shot at this.” Dean reasoned. 

So we got to work. Dean turned on the phone that was connected to Charlie’s Bluetooth. We also turned on the volume from her end, to which we heard her singing. “I used to think maybe you loved me…” 

“Charlie, it’s Dean.” He said, interrupting her. “Are you singing?” 

“I sing when I’m nervous. Don’t judge me.” She snapped. 

Dean couldn’t help his smile, “Judgement-free zone. Listen, uh, check the side pocket in your bag.” 

“Oh. Thank you.” She took it from the bag and drank from the flask. “Mmm. Good idea.” I chuckled a little.

“Yeah, no problem. Look, that’s, uh, kind of a family heirloom. It’s a good-luck charm, okay, so _don’t_ lose it.” 

“Copy that. Okay. Let’s do this.” She just stood there frozen a moment. 

“Uh, Charlie?” We exchanged a few glances. “Charlie?” 

“I’m having a hard time moving.” 

“You can do this.” Dean tried to assure her. 

“Uh, I’m not-I’m not a spy. No, I can’t do it. I can’t do it. I can’t do it. I can’t.” 

“Give it to me.” I took the phone from Dean. “Charlie. Hey, it’s me and Sam.” 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I-I just-“ 

“Sweetie it’s okay. Just breathe.” I looked at Sam a little panicked. 

Then he said, “It’s okay. Uh, listen, w-who’s your favorite _Harry_ _Potter_ character?” Dean gave him a look as I saw where this was going. 

“Uh, Hermione.” She said. I smiled at that. 

Sam then asked her. “Hermione, well, uh, alright, did Hermione run when Sirius Black was in trouble-“ 

“Or when Voldemort attacked Hogwarts?” I asked. A wave of pleasant surprise came from Sam, and I smirked a little. 

“Seriously.” Dean whispered. 

“Shut up.” Came from both Sam and I. 

“No, of course not.” Charlie said. 

“What did she do?” I asked her. 

“She kicked ass. She actually saves Harry in practically every book. And then she ends up with the wrong-“ 

I fought a laugh. She wasn’t exactly wrong. Sam then said, “Uh, stay on track. Okay, so she kicked ass, right? So, then, what are you gonna do?” 

“I’m gonna kick it in the ass.” 

“Good girl.” Sam said. 

“Hell yeah, lady.” I said with a smile trying with all I could to ignore the way I felt when I heard him say those words. “You can do this, go.” 

“Oh, you go, dumble-dork.” Dean said as I rolled my eyes. Charlie headed in as we waited and watched through the security cameras. She made it passed the security guard and got through the evelvator without a hitch as we watched quietly. 

I was relieved when I heard her, “I’m in. I’ve always wanted to say that.” 

“You’re on the clock. Move.” Dean said. 

After a minuet or so, she came back. “Hey, there's a big-ass guard up here, blocking the door. What do I do?” 

“Just Wait him out.” Dean said. 

“He’s not going anywhere.” We exchanged a look. 

“Okay, uh,” Dean said thinking, “you work there everyday. Do you know the guy?” 

I furrowed my eyebrows wondering what he was thinking. Charlie just said, “I guess. I mean, I’ve seen him. I’ve never talked to him.” 

“Okay, when you've seen him, does he look at you, or does he just kind of slide his eyes by?” 

“Um...eye contact? I don't know. He always kind of smiles a bit. I don't really-“ 

“Good. What you're gonna do is you're gonna walk right up to him, and you're gonna flirt your way past.” I gave him a look. _Seriously_ , I mouthed to him. 

“I can’t. He’s not my type.” She said. 

“You’re gonna have to play through that.” 

“As in he’s not a girl.” I raised my eyebrows. _Hell yeah, lady_. I thought. 

“Oh, oh.” Dean for a moment didn’t know what to do. I just wished I had popcorn. “Pretend he has boobs.” I fought a laugh at Dean’s sincerity. 

“Worse.” 

“Well, I don’t know. Um...do you have any tattoos? Give him a little sneak peek there. All tattoos are sexy.” He said with a smirk. I rolled my eyes again knowing very well he was also referencing the tattoo on my back. 

“Mine is a Princess Leia in a slave bikini straddling a 20-sided die.” Dean gave me a look. Layered with ‘help me.’ “I was drunk. It was Comic-Con.” 

“We’ve all been there.” He covered the mic. “Help her.” 

“Do What? Flirt? I can’t do that!” I whispered. 

“You flirt all the time with Sam.” My cheeks heated up at that. I felt a wave of embarrassment from Sam too. I probably would have seen his bitch face if I wasn’t facing him. 

“I don’t flirt with strangers _or_ over the phone.” I stood my ground as I stared at him. 

Then he spoke to Charlie. “Okay, I’m gonna walk you through this.” He moved back to face the other side of the Van. Sam and I just watched the live feed. Charlie went in and Dean guided her with the flirting. 

“Start with a smile.” She smiled a little too much. “Relax, Charlie. You just got home, and Scarlett Johansson’s waiting for you.” I smirked at that. _Hell of a visual Dean_. 

Charlie then approached the security guard. We could hear him through the Bluetooth feed. “Can I help you, miss?” 

“Hey...Bill. Charlie from IT.” She held up her ID card. 

“Oh. Burning the midnight oil, huh?” 

“Just like you-I mean, when you’re not at the gym. What, do you work out with all your free time?” 

Bill then said, “I try to get to the gym at least three days a week. Just trying to get back to my fighting weight, you know?” 

Dean then told her to say, “It shows. You look amazing.” We both looked at him, shocked at his ease in flirting with a guy. She repeated it to Bill and Dean noticed our staring. He whispered to us, covering the mic, “This never happened.” Then he turned back to the phone and Charlie. “Do you ever do anything else with your free time, like take a girl out for a drink.” 

Sam and I were fighting off giggles. I clasped my hand over my mouth. Then we looked at eachother, and Sam couldn’t help it. Dean then warned us, “Stop laughing, Sammy.” 

Charlie then accidentally said, “Stop laughing Sammy. Um...y-you don’t know that bar-Stop Laughing Sammy?” Sam put his own hand over his mouth too try and stop. It was starting to hurt. “That place is bring sexy back. Which is easy…” 

Dean then told her, “Stop talking, Charlie.” 

“...cause they kept the receipt. Stop talking Charlie. Right. So, um, y-you we’re saying about going out.” She topped it off with playing isn’t her hair. “Drinks?” 

The fool fell for it. “Um...Yeah, yeah. That’d be great.” 

Charlie continued. “Cool. Pencil that in. Hey, can I ask you a favor? The ladies’ room downstairs is nasty. Can I use the exec washroom to powder my nose?” 

Our laughing had died down as we listened, thought Sam and I still had smiles plastered over our faces. Bill then replied, “Yeah, yeah. Why not? Um, it’s right down the hall. It’s the first door on the right.” 

_She made it_! Charlie made her way past the guard and straight to Dick’s office. “I feel dirty.” 

“You and me both, sister.” Dean said as I fought another laugh. 

“The eagle is landing. Going radio-silent.” She said. 

“Let me know when you’re out.” 

I smiled at him with a little mischief. “You ever gonna give me flirting lessons Dean?” 

“Shut up.” As he waved off embarrassment. 

Sam smiled then asked, “So, guess we just wait.” 

“Yeah.” Sam then started filling up jars of Power clean while Dean and I watched the security feeds. Starting to get impatient. 

“Come on Charlie.” I whispered. 

After another few moments of silence, Dean gave off a wave of impatience. “Well, this is awesome.” I kept my eyes on the screen. “You know what? New plan. From now on, we just stay in the Van and send in the 90 pound girl.” 

I shook my head as Sam said, “Dean, every chomper on earth knows our faces. How many do you think are in that building? We wouldn’t make it past the lobby.” 

Sam finished with the borax and slid over next to us. Dean then said, “Yeah, I know. Doesn’t mean I got to be happy about sending in freaking _Veronica Mars_.” 

“Dude. Have a little faith in her.” I said. 

“She’ll be fine...or we’ll go in.” Sam reasoned. 

“And get as far as we can. Damn right.” I nodded to that. After a few more moments, Charlie came back on the phone. 

“Hey, guys.” 

“Hey.” Dean said. He gave off a wave of relief. 

“Sending you all the flagged dig files now.” The files started coming in on Sam’s email. 

“Charlie, you are a genius!” Sam said. 

“And a Badass.” I added with a smile. 

“I know.” She said. “It’s a problem.” Then we heard a door open. “Dammit. Hey, Pete! Guess we’re both on deadline, hun?” 

We could hear her boss. “How’s it going?” 

“Good, Good. I’ll give you a full progress report in a few hours.” 

“Great. Hit that deadline, right?...Well, holler if you need anything.” 

After a few moments, Charlie said, “Hey, guys, you still there?” 

“Yeah. What the hell was that?” Dean asked. 

“Oh, just my manager, _the_ _monster_.” 

“Leave.” Panic came over him.

“I can’t. I got to act normal. I told him I was working. Let’s just finish this.” She started sending us more emails from Dick’s server. “Are you seeing this?” 

“Yeah.” I said. 

“It looks like Dick stopped digging days ago.” Dean said. 

“Why?” Charlie asked. 

“Guess he found what he was looking for. Can you check?” 

I could hear the smirk in her voice. “Way ahead of you. Looking at travel reports, expenses...Here we go. Something in his suitcase left Iran last week. Spent the last 72 hours in armored cars and private planes. Whatever it is, it's coming here for Dick _tonight_. So, w-what the hell is it?” 

“I don’t know. Whatever it is, he wants it bad, which means we got to grab it, end of story.” 

“Well, it’s landing at a private airport near here- _crap_ -right about now. A courier’s set to pick it up.” 

“What’s the exact landing time?” I asked. 

“Forty two minutes. Can you make it?” Charlie asked. Sam started pulling up routes. 

“We can try. Uh, alright, Charlie, one more favor, and then get the hell out of there.” Dean told her. 

“What do you need?” 

“More time.” 

“Then lets get you some.” I heard typing as she said, “Travel department's e-mailing Dick. Suitcase still en route, but diverted by weather and will be 30 minutes late….I'll finish mopping you guys off the drive and get the hell out of Dodge.”

“Call us when you’re clear.” 

“Text you from the border, bro.” She hung up as Dean got in the driver's seat. 

“Okay. We need to steal it, but how?” I asked. 

“Shell game. Switch the real package with ours?” Sam asked. 

“Perfect.” I said, “How?” 

…

We drove in to the private airport. I waited in the drivers seat as the boys went in posing as two baggage handlers. I tapped my thumb on the wheel as I waited anxiously, hoping that they wouldn’t become leviathan chow. Then a knock on my window pulled me out of my thoughts to see Dean. It gave me a sigh of relief. 

I got out and went to the trunk where they stashed the thing. We stayed quiet as we watched the Courier drive away. “So now what?” Sam asked. 

“See what we’ve won.” Dean said as he pulled out the case and closed the trunk. He placed the case on top and opened it. There was an object the size of a large book wrapped in cloth. I picked up the end of it and pulled it over trying to take a look at it. 

“Did we just...steal a-a hunk of red clay?” Sam asked. 

“Good question.” I said as I covered it back up and Dean closed it. 

“Yeah, why don’t we answer that a few thousand miles from here, though? Now where is Charlie?” Dean asked. 

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” I said as we got in the car. 

“Nice idea by the way sending a borax bomb.” Dean said. 

“Thanks.” I said with a smirk.

We ran out of there like a couple of bats from hell worried for Charlie. Once we drove up, I knew something was wrong. We got out the borax and guns, and ran to the front door of the building. Just in time to see the glass half way shattered on the doors, and Charlie hitting at the window for help. Sam told me to stay back as both he and Dean took a running start and crashed through the windows, breaking them to get in. I follow behind stepping through. As soon as I entered, my spine lit on fire. _Bobby_. 

A security guard approached all three of us while there was a middle-aged man staggering up near us. “Dean, he’s one of them!” Charlie screamed. 

Dean went straight for the man who was near Charlie while Sam and I went for the guard. Sam punched him out as I threw half my borax on him, making sure he wasn’t a Levi. Then we both went to Charlie. Sam picked her up easily as Dean stood frozen staring down Dick Roman himself. 

“That would explain it. You’re handing with the wrong crowd, kiddo.” He said as pure pride and anger came off him. 

Roman moved forward, and we started towards the door. Then Bobby appeared before Dick Roman. “Not so fast, Dick.” Bobby shoved the leviathan hard enough to make him fly across the room. 

“Holy shit.” I muttered as Bobby flickered in and out before disappearing. Roman growled and sat up. 

“Alright, enough! Show yourself! Let’s do this like real monsters.” He tried to get up but was shoved back down. “Ha! You got to do that again, that tickled.” 

“Dean, come on. Come on!” Sam shouted. 

“Let’s go.” I said to him before we finally bolted for the car. 

Charlie sat in the back seat with me while I gave her a once over. She was clutching her arm as she wafted off pain. Sam and Dean sat up front headed for the nearest urgent care. “Charlie, talk to us. You okay?” Dean said from behind the wheel. 

“No. Why didn’t you kill him?” She asked. 

Sam then said. “Cause we can’t yet-“ 

“But we will.” I told her. 

“The really evil ones always need a special sword. Oh, okay. I'm gonna pass out now.” She leaned against me and quickly fell unconscious. I looked to Sam worried as I willed Dean silently to drive faster. 

…

The next morning, after getting Charlie’s arm set and in a sling, and getting a motel room for the night, we were all set to take her to a bus station. Finished up packing, Charlie asked me to speak to her outside of the boys earshot. We stepped out the room and down the line of parking spots. 

“What’s up?” I asked. 

“I have to say it...why haven’t you made a move on Sam?” 

“What? I-we’re just friends.” 

“I know, but...you two seem like, really good together. I mean for god-sakes he makes heart eyes at you.” 

I laughed. “No, he doesn’t. He makes those puppy-dog eyes at just about everyone.” 

“Yeah, you especially.” She gave me a look. A ‘cut the act’ look. 

I sighed, and made sure the boys were out of sight. “Look. There’s definitely something between us, but...I care about Sam. So much. And...I don’t want to ruin the friendship we have. It’s good and clear. And he’s been through so much lately. He’s lost people that he loved. And the line of work that we do...we have short lifespans. I don’t want him to go through that again.” 

She nodded. “Yeah. But life’s too short.” She pressed her un-injured hand on my shoulder. “Don’t let your Harry get away, Hermione. Your fans—me want you together and happy.” 

I smiled and laughed. “I’ll think about it.” Dean then honked the horn on the car. “Come on Ginny. We better go.” She laughed at me at that with a wave of impression. 

“Book counterpart right?” 

“Course.”

We went back in and grabbed our things, then we all climbed into the car and drove to the bus station. Saying goodbye to Charlie seemed to be a lot harder than I anticipated. 

We were standing before the buses. “I left your dumb flask in the back seat, by the way. Worst good-luck charm ever.” She said. 

We all chuckled a little. Dean then handed her her bag. “Here you go.” 

“Thanks.” She said.

“So listen, um, we can’t thank you enough.” Sam told her. 

She looked up at him and said, “Actually, you can. Never contact me again, like, ever. Deal?” She held out her hand to shake his. 

“Deal.” 

She shook hands with mine. Then we went in for a hug. “Gonna miss you Granger.” She said. 

“You too Weasley.” I said smiling. She laughed and pulled back. 

Then she shook hands with Dean. “Keep your head down out there, okay?” 

“This ain’t the first time I’ve disappeared. You think my name is really Charlie Bradbury? Please. So good luck saving the world.” She held up a Vulcan salute. “Peace out, bitches.” 

I smiled as Sam laughed a little. “I love her.” I said. 

“She’s kind of like the little sister I never wanted.” Dean said. 

I raised an eyebrow. “So what am I to you? A coworker?” 

“One of the best hunter partners we’ve ever had.” He said with a wave of pride. I couldn’t help but grin. Sam was smiling too. 

After Charlie got on the bus, Sam sighed and said, “We got to talk.” 

We started walking down the line of buses. “What, you mean before we get back to the car and the flask?” Dean asked. 

“Yeah. We should talk about him.” I said walking between them with my hands in my jacket pockets. 

“Exactly. So, what the hell happened back in the lobby, Dean?” Sam asked. 

A wave of anger came from the elder Winchester. “Man, if I had the free shot, I’d have bitch-slapped the hell out of Dick.” 

“Yeah, but I mean,” Sam stopped and faced us. “Charlie got her freaking arm broken.” 

“He didn’t mean to do it.” Dean said. 

“That’s the point, Dean.” I said to him. 

“Exactly. He’s not in control, not about Dick. That was vengeful-spirit crap.” 

I crossed my arms as Dean said, “I know. But it’s still Bobby.” 

“But if he really goes there, he won’t be Bobby anymore, and then we won’t be able to pull him back. And then what are we supposed to do?” I asked him. 

“I know. Look, let’s figure out what that thing we stole is, and then we’ll figure out what the hell to do with Bobby.” He raised his eyebrows at us then walked off. 

We both sighed. “I don’t like this as much you do, but he might be right about that...that thing. We need to know what it is.” 

“Yeah. But...uh…” he started. 

I raised an eyebrow. “What?” 

“Do you...flirt with me?” He asked with a smirk. 

I smiled back, “If you have to ask, is it really flirting?” I shook my head. And turned, “let’s go already. Before Dean leaves us.” 

He laughed a little and walked with me towards the car. 

  
  



	15. Reading is Fundamental

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We dig into what exactly we stole from Dick Roman and set off a chain of events. Castiel is awake and we all meet Kevin Tran. Everything gets a little crazy as we go on the run from Angels and demons. But a new revelation suddenly changes everything for me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is a big one in terms of the reader’s backstory. Enjoy!-Indigo

“ _People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for_.”-Harper Lee 

  
  
  


We drove from the bus station until it was dark, and we found an abandoned building we could squat in and set up there. Sam, Dean, and I all wanted to know what the hell we stole from Dick Roman. 

The place was clearly abandoned from construction with walls ripped out. But it had a sink and running water thankfully, but no electricity. There was a table in the room where Sam put down a lantern and the box there. I carried the tools, as well as my bag, to break into the damn thing. 

I put my bag down. Sam already pulled the piece of clay out. I carried the box over to the table and Dean was already standing next to Sam staring at the thing. “That’s a lot of fuss over a caveman Lego.” 

“Yeah. Well, whatever Dick wants is bricked up inside that.” Sam said. 

I looked at it myself as Dean rummaged with the tools. Something about it was...strange. I laid my hand against the cooled rock and closed my eyes. Then I felt it. A strange wave of energy. A wave of energy that I didn’t recognize. “That’s strange. There’s...energy.” 

Dean eyebrows raised at me. “From whatever’s in the rock?” 

I nodded. “Yeah. I’ve never felt anything like this before.” 

“All the more reason to break it out.” Sam said. 

I stood back and Dean took a mallet and some safety glasses for all three of us. “Alright.” He said. And brought a blow down onto the clay. 

He stopped after one hit as thunder sounded above the building. We all exchanged glances. Then he did it again. More thunder clapped and lightning flashed the room. A pit in my stomach formed. “That sound like somebody saying, ‘No, Wait-stop,’ to you?” 

“Yeah.” Sam and I both said. 

“Should we really open this can of worms? I mean...the kind of trouble Dick went through to get it...what if it’s a weapon? What if we open it, and it kills us all?” I asked nervously. 

“Yeah, but what if it’s the answer we’ve been looking for?” Sam asked me.

“Yeah.” Dean shrugged. “Oh, well.” He lets the thing have it. Hitting it again and again. Thunder erupts again and again with each hit. The clay breaks apart with each thunder clap. Eventually, a stone tablet emerged with a blast of energy that the boys couldn’t sense. Dean stopped as I staggered a little. 

I grasped a hand on Sam’s arm as he asked, “you okay?” 

I nodded. “Yeah. You didn’t feel that?” The both shook their heads. 

Dean then lifted it up and examined it. Turning it over. He handed it over to Sam and I. The thunder continued as we looked at the strange markings. As I held it in my hands, the strange energy wafted off it and as I grazed my fingers over it, it felt warm. “Does it feel... _warm_ to you?” I asked Sam. 

“No. does it for you?” 

“Yeah.” I let him hold it. “I don’t think I should touch it. Like...ever.” 

“What, it creeps you out?” Dean asked. 

My eyes never left the thing. “It just...it gives me the feeling that I’m not _meant_ to touch it.” 

They both exchanged a look and silently agreed. They both tended to trust me when I say things like this. Like I was the expert on my abilities and how I interacted with the world. Little did they know I just played along with whatever is thrown at me. 

…

The next morning I woke earlier than Sam and Dean. Thanks to squatting, we had to sleep on the cold floor so I didn’t sleep well. I stepped out and grabbed all of us coffee. When I came back, Sam was listening to the news on his laptop at the table. And Dean just had gotten up, splashing water on his face. “Morning.” I said somewhat cheerfully.

I handed Sam his black coffee as I listened to a baffled meteorologist. Then Dean spoke up, “Bobby? Bobby, that you?” Dean asked as he looked around the room.

“Think so.” Sam said, he held up the EMF reader which was in the red. “But that whole adventure at Roman’s seems to have drained his batteries.” 

I sat against the edge of the table. “Serves him right, going after Dick like that. Choosing to be a ghost. Stubborn.” 

Sam chuckled a little. “You're definitely not a morning person.” 

“Sorry, sleeping on the cold hard ground doesn’t do well for me.” 

Dean then came up and got his coffee. “So, What? We start the storm heard ‘round the world?” 

“When we broke this thing open last night, every maternity ward within a hundred-mile radius got slammed. Looks like any woman in the last month of her pregnancy went into labor.” 

“Damn.” I muttered. 

Dean then picked up the tablet and looked at it. “This one goes out to all the ladies. So, heavyweight signs, omens-What do we got?” 

“I assume it’s writing.” Sam said, “But I’ve never seen anything like it, ever. And it doesn’t match anything in any book or online.” 

“So it’s old. That’s something.” I said dryly. 

Then Dean started to think out loud. “All right, so big daddy chomper lands here, he grabs himself some Dick...and then he starts secretly underwriting university departments, pouring money into digs-all for this. Why?” He turned the tablet in his hands. 

“No clue.” Sam stood then and closed up his laptop. “We do know that he will be tearing new ones until he gets it back, though. Look, we got to take a minute, hole up somewhere safe, find out what we've got.” 

“Rufus’s cabin, then?” I asked, taking a big swig of coffee. 

“Yeah.” 

“This time, I’m doing the shopping.” Dean said as he turned and started packing. I chuckled at that. 

Sam's cell phone then rang. “It’s Meg.” He answered. “What?” He said with a wave of annoyance. After a beat, he said, “What?” He turned to Dean. “Cas is awake.” Dean came back towards us. 

“When?” Sam put the phone on speaker. “When?” Dean asked again. 

“Last night about eight.” Meg told us. 

“And you waited till now to call us?” 

“I’ve been busy with Cas. He’s just a tad different than when he dozed off, ‘Kay?” 

“What do you mean different?” He asked with a wave of concern. 

“Hey, _Seacrest_ , guess what-not a nurse. Just playing one on TV. Want answers. Start driving.” She hung up. 

“Great. So, Indiana?” I asked. 

“Yeah. Eight o’clock last night.” 

“Yeah.” Sam said. “Same time we opened up that thing.” We all looked at it for a moment. 

Then I sighed and said. “Let’s go see our angel.” I finished my coffee. 

…

It was dark when we made it back to the hospital. The place still made me upset. All of those memories of when we almost lost Sam to his own mind still haunted me. But I kept it in. I didn’t want the boys to know how I still had the occasional nightmare about it. 

We were practically jogging through the mental ward as we made our way to Castiel’s room. Dean gave off a wave of anxiety as we approached. “Hey, you okay?” I asked him. 

“We raced all the way here, and now I don’t know. I can’t say I’m fired up to see what’s left of the guy.” 

“You think he remembers us at all?” Sam asked. 

“That, and I'm Guessing whatever kind of hell baggage he lifted off of your plate. It’s not gonna be pretty.” 

I nodded at that. Then an Orderly came up to us. “Hey, excuse me, but it’s way past visiting hours.” 

Before we could protest, Meg came out of a room. “It’s okay, Abel. I’ve been expecting them. Hello, boys.” I smirked a little. Surprisingly, it was good to see Meg. With a quirk of her eyebrow, she beckoned us and we followed her to see Cas. 

We went into his room, to see Castiel standing at the window, staring out and wearing his trench coat. Dean said, “Hey, Cas.” 

He turned around and looked at us, and gave off several waves of joy. “Hello, Dean. Sam.” He looked at me and smiled at my name. 

“Hey, Castiel.” Sam said to him. 

Dean smiled, a little bit of relief coming off him. Castiel also walked towards him. “Look at you, walkin’ and talkin’. That’s-that great, right?” 

Castiel then pointed a finger at him. A wave of Mischief came off him as I watched the angel. “Pull my finger.” 

“What?” Dean asked with a wave of confusion. 

“My finger-pull it.” Dean stared at it for a moment, then he did so. Which caused a surge of energy in the room. Enough of it to cause the overhead fluorescent lights to spark and go out. I jumped and Sam put an arm around me to avoid the sparks. After the room went dark, Castiel just laughed. 

Meg ran and got a lamp with a fresh bulb. Castiel went back to the window to stare out while we gathered around him. He Began to update us on his mental status. “Okay, just hang on, Cas. Wait. Let us catch up for a second.” 

“So you’re saying you remember who you are, what you are.” Sam said. 

Castiel then mused, “Yes. Of course.” Then he turned to us with fascination running off him. “Oh. Outside today, in the garden, I followed a honeybee. I saw the route of flowers. It's all right there, the whole plan. There's nothing to add.” 

Sam just looked at Meg. “You might want to add a little Thorazine.” 

She smirked. “Right? He’s been like the naked guy at the rave ever since he woke up. Totally useless.” 

Cas then turned and looked at her with awe coming off him. “Will you look at her? My caretaker.” A bit of pride came off him as well when he said that. “All of the thorny pain. So beautiful.” 

I smiled at that. Meg just smirked as she said. “We’ve been over this. I don’t like poetry. Put up or shut up.” Castiel tilted his head with a smile. It looked like he was in love with her. 

“Okay. So Cas, you said you woke up last night?” Sam asked, slightly uncomfortable with the blatant flirting in front of him. 

Castiel then looked at us. “Yes. I heard a _ping_ that pierced me, and, well, you wouldn't have heard it unless you were an angel at the time.” 

I furrowed my eyebrows at that. Sam then handed Castiel the bag that contained the tablet. “That’s also when we opened this.” 

“Oh. Of course.” He said casually as he looked at the tablet. “Now I understand.” 

“Understand What?” I asked.

“You were the ones. Well...I guess that makes sense.” He chuckled a little. 

“What makes sense?” Dean asked him. 

Castiel turned and looked at the tablet. “If someone was going to free the Word from the vault of the earth,” he turned to look back at us, “it would end up being you three.” He looked at us with pure joy. “Oh, I love you guys.” 

He pulled us into a group hug. I squeezed in between the boys while Cas held us close. Dean wasn’t too happy about it. “Oh. Uck. Okay. Alright. Okay.” Sam patted him on the back as I stood frozen. I mean, I had hugged Sam before, but this was...this was beyond awkward pressing my body up against his unexpectedly. Sam was also waving off embarrassment. 

Cas let us go. And Sam asked, “Yeah, yeah. You-you said something about ‘The Word.’ Is that what’s written on there?” 

Castiel started talking, but it wasn’t about the Word. “Did you know that a cat's penis is sharply barbed along its shaft? I know for a fact the females were not consulted about that.” He said specifically to me. I couldn’t help but chuckle at that as Castiel turned away again. 

Dean however wasn’t amused. “Cas, please, we’re losing ground out there, okay? We need your help. Can you not see that?” 

His back still to us, he said, “This is the handwriting of Metatron.” 

“Metatron?” Sam laughed a little at that, baffled by the name. “You saying a _Transformer_ wrote that?” 

Dean then said quietly. “No that’s Megatron.” 

“What?” 

“The Transformer-it’s Megatron.” I rolled my eyes at them. 

“What?” 

“Me-Ta-Tron.” Castiel corrected and turned back to us, “he’s an angel. He’s the scribe of God. He took down dictation when creation was being formed.” 

We all looked at the tablet. “And _that’s_ the Word of God?” 

“One of them, yes.” 

I looked at him. “Castiel, do you know what it says?” I asked him. 

“Uh…” he looked down at the tablet. And back at us a few times. “‘Tree?’ ‘Horse?’ ‘Fiddler crab?’ I can’t read it. It wasn’t meant for angels, or angelic offspring.” He said looking at me. 

Before I could ask him about that, Meg interrupted with a wave of concern. “Okay, this all sounds bad. What are you two jackasses doing with the Word of God? Let me see that thing?” She tried to take the tablet from Cas’s hands. 

“Back off, Meg.” Dean warned. 

“Come on, it's my ass too.” 

“Back off.” As they were fighting, I felt a wave of panic from Castiel. 

“Damn it! Enough of this ‘demons are second class citizens’ crap!” She said. 

Cas then said, “Don’t like conflict.” He disappeared and dropped the tablet. It smashed on the floor into three pieces as my eyes grew wide. 

“Uh…” Sam said. 

“What the hell was that?” Dean asked. 

“You heard him. He doesn’t like conflict.” Meg explained. “He’s down in the dayroom now. I guarantee it.” 

Dean then said, “Alright, I’ll go handle Cas. Sam, will you please pick up the Word of God?” 

“Yeah.” Sam said. 

Then I followed him. “I’ll go with you.” 

We wandered the halls for a bit looking for the dayroom. _What the hell did he mean by angel offspring?_ I thought as we found him. He was in the dayroom like Meg said. His back was to us sitting at a table with some board games infront of him. Dean and I approached him carefully. 

“Castiel?” I said gently. We both stood in front of him. He looked up at Dean. 

Dean then asked, “You realize you just broke God’s word.” Cas just looked away. We exchanged a look and sat in front of him. “It's Sam's thing, isn't it? You taking on his, uh, cage-match scars. I'm guessing that's what broke your bank, right?”

“Well it took...everything to get me here.” 

“What are you talking about, man?” 

“Dean, I know you want different answers.” 

A wave of frustration came from him. “No, I want you to button up your coat and help us take down Leviathans. Do you remember what you did?” 

Castiel didn’t answer, he just looked at the stack of games, and took the top one off. It was _Sorry_. He held it in front of us. I wasn’t sure if it was an apology or that he wanted to play. I decided that he wanted to play as he shook it and it was set up for the three of us as if by magic. “Do you want to go first?” Cas asked him. 

Dean begrudgingly nodded as Cas shuffled the cards. 

Castiel then started to ramble. “You know, we weren't sure at first which monkeys were gonna make it. No offense, but I was backing the Neanderthals because their poetry was...just amazing. It’s in perfect tune with the spheres. But in the end, it was you-the homosapians sapiens. You guys ate the apple, invented pants.” 

Dean asked him, “Cas, where can we find this, uh, Metatron? Is he still alive?” 

“I’m sorry. I-I think you have to go back to start.” Dean moved his marker. 

“This is important.” Dean said to him. His anger flaring again. “I think Metatron could stop a lot of bad. You understand that?” 

As Castiel continued playing, he mused. “We live in a ‘sorry’ universe. It’s engineered to create conflict. I mean, why should I prosper from...your misfortune. But these are the rules. I didn’t make them.” 

“You made some of them. When you tried to become God, when you cut that hole into that wall.” Dean said. 

“Dean...it’s your move.” Cas told him. 

We both recoiled as Dean pounded a fist on the table and swiped the board on the floor. “Forget the damn game! Forget the game, Cas.” 

“Dean.” I whispered gently. 

“I’m sorry, Dean.” Castiel told him. 

“No. You’re playing Sorry!” 

Castiel ignored him and went to the floor to begin picking up the game. Then both Cas looked up as I sensed energies entering the building. These we’re strong ones. Ones that I could sense farther away. 

“What?” Dean asked. 

“Sam. He’s talking to angels.” Castiel told us then disappeared. 

“Oh crap.” I said as we got up from our seats and rushed back to Castiel’s room. As we walked down the hallway, Dean made us slowdown. We could hear voices. Including Cas. 

Dean and I hid behind a wall as he took out a knife. “What are you doing?” I whispered as he cut his hand. 

On the wall he started painting on, with blood, a symbol surrounded by a circle. A woman then shouted, “You’re insane.” 

“Hey!” He got their attention from the doorway. “Heads up, Sunshine.” He slammed his blood hand to the wall and white light took the room. 

Next thing I knew, I was on my back on the tile floor, being called out by Dean. There was a slight ringing in my ear as I came to. 

I squeezed my eyes shut then open. “Hey ESP. You okay?” Dean asked. Sam was next to me too, smiling. 

“The hell was that?” I asked as they helped me up. Sam kept his hand on my arm to steady me. 

“Angel banishing spell. All angels blown back to their corners. We got like three, four hours tops.” We walked into the room. There was a teenaged boy holding on to the tablet like the last life vest on the bed. He was sending wave after wave of panic. I stared at him as Sam pointed at Meg, who was holding a strange silver knife. 

“Meg, where did you get that?” Sam asked. 

“A lot of angels died this year-“

“What’s happening?! What’s happening?!” The kid yelled out. I sat next to him. Trying to calm him down. 

“What is that?” Dean asked. 

“It’s, uh...Kevin Tran. He’s, uh, in advanced placement.” Sam said. 

I ignored them as I got his name. I placed both hands on his shoulders. “Kevin, I need you to calm down. Breathe. Kevin. Breathe.” He got quiet as just focused on breathing. 

After calming him down, the boys explained everything to him. I sat next to him on the bed, facing the window, while Sam and Dean stood infornt of us. To which he was still freaked out, but talking through it. “So, these Leviathans-these monsters are real.” We all exchanged a look. “And angels with wings?” 

“No. uh...no wings. No anything.” Sam said. 

“No junk. Junkless.” I rolled my eyes. “So, Kevin, you can, uh, read the chicken scratch on the God rock, huh?” 

Kevin looked up at Dean with a wave of confusion. “Uh, I…” 

“That is back in one piece, I see. And you’re saying that there’s some sort of ‘How to punch Dick’ recipe in there somewhere?” I gave him a look. As much as I wanted to do that, Dean was kind of throwing everything at him all at once. 

“I-I don’t know what you’re saying, but it seems kind of like an ‘In case of emergency’ note. What did they mean by ‘prophet’?” 

“Prophet?” I asked. 

“Oh, no.” Dean then looked at Sam. “Really?” 

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s what the angel said.” Sam told us. 

“I don’t want to be a prophet.” Kevin said with another wave of panic. 

“No. You don’t at all.” Dean said. 

Meg came back into the room. “Gentlemen, lady, we’ve got to start running and hiding. Or do you want to tangle with those wing nuts twice?” 

“I’m sorry. Did you say ‘we’?” Dean asked her. 

“I’m on the angels’ radar now. You think I don’t need a little safety in numbers?” She asked. 

“Alright, we’ll go to Rufus’s cabin. Kid can do his book report there.” 

“What about Castiel?” I asked, he was the only one who seemed to have answers for me right now. Especially since the angel blood spell knocked me on my ass. 

“He’ll catch up. Let’s go.” Sam said. 

…

We found an SUV that would carry all five of us and warded it against angels. We drove for hours that night. Eventually in the morning we stopped for gas and food. Sam and I went in with Meg for coffee while Dean stayed with a sleeping Kevin and to gas up. 

As Sam and I filled the basket for food we may need at the cabin, I asked him. “Sam...have you ever seen a human be affected by the blood spell?” 

He looked at me with a wave of confusion. He shook his head. “Uh...no. Not really.” 

“That’s what’s got me worried. And something Castiel said.” 

“What? He said a lot of things back there.” He said as we started getting coffees for the three of us. 

“‘Angelic offspring.’ Whatever the hell that means. Let’s just go. I’ll ask him when we see him again.” 

“Hey.” I looked up at him. He gave off a wave of determination and looked down at me with his puppy-dog eyes. “We’ll figure it out, okay.” 

I smiled and nodded. It was nice of him to stand with me on this, but...this was something I needed to figure out on my own. 

We got everything and went to the counter. Meg already left the store with a magazine. As I was paying, Sam nudged me and nodded towards the TV hanging in the room. A news anchor was giving a story, one with Kevin’s picture. “ _Again, sixteen year old honor student Kevin Tran reportedly taken from his Michigan home early yesterday_ …” 

I swallowed and finished paying. We gathered everything and went out straight to Dean, who was finished with the gas.

“Hey.” Sam said and handed Dean his coffee. “So, we got another wrinkle. Uh, looks like Kevin’s gone missing...and it’s gone _federal_.” 

Dean gave us a look and sent off a wave of frustration. “Yeah.” I said. “Where’s Meg?” 

“I’m here.” She said as she walked up. 

“Great, so now we’re kidnappers?” Dean asked. 

“Not if we shut up about it. Why? Who’d we kidnap?” She asked. 

“Kevin apparently.” I told her. “Let’s get on the road.” 

“Yeah. Sooner we’re at the cabin the better.” Dean said.

We loaded up and climbed in. Dean was driving while Sam sat in shotgun. Meg and Kevin sat in the back seats in the center of the car, while I sat in the very back listening to the radio, trying to wrap my mind around everything I had learned over the last twenty four hours. 

Kevin woke up and flinched when he saw Meg. “Oh, God.” He said. 

“What?” She asked. 

“Nothing. Nothing.” He gave off a wave of sadness. “Just...my life...my future...my girlfriend...my mom’s car.” 

Meg’s phone rang as Kevin spoke, she picked it up. “Yeah. Yeah, Castiel. It’s me.” 

Dean heard that. “Cas? Where? Where is he?” 

Meg stopped talking on the phone for a second. “Shut up.” 

I heard Castiel over the phone, “I’ll stop speaking.” 

“No. No, Cas. You talk.” 

“I’m in a place called Perth.” 

“Perth?” 

“Perth?” Dean asked. “As in Australia?” 

“What dogs?” She asked, “He says he’s surrounded by unhappy dogs.” 

Cas continued. “They’re chasing a rabbit around…” 

“Oh. Okay. He’s at a dog track in Perth.” 

“I’m surrounded by large unhappy dogs.” I heard Cas say. 

“Yeah, they’re unhappy ‘cause the Rabbit’s fake.” She looked out the window. “Listen, we're on highway 94, north of St. Cloud, Minnesota, just passing mile marker 79.”

In two seconds, Cas was sitting in the seat between Meg and Kevin. This started him while Meg just smiled. “Kevin, this is Castiel.” 

Kevin gave off a wave of fear. “You’re one of the angels?” 

Cas just booped his nose, complete with verbal “Boop.” And turned to Meg. “Meg, are you hurt?” 

“Shut up.” She said. Though I felt a small wave of relief from her. 

“Cas, What happened back there? Who were those guys?” Dean asked. 

Castiel started to ramble again and leaned over to the boys. “They're from the Garrison-my old Garrison. Looks like Hester's taken over.” Cas leaned back to explain to Kevin. “We were assigned to watch the earth. Often, it was boring. The wars were very boring, and the sex-you know, the repetition. Anyway, I was, uh...I was their captain. Isn't that strange?” 

Sam turned a little and asked, “Cas, why are they pissed at us now?”

Castiel didn’t seem to pay attention. Instead he looked at Meg again. “You know, those dogs were absolutely miserable. They can only think in ovals.” I smirked at that. 

Dean gave off a wave of frustration. “Cas, don’t make me pull this car over! Why are angels after us?” 

“Are you angry? Why are you angry?” 

“No, I-I’m...please, can we just stay on target?” 

“There is no reason for anger. They're only following protocol. If the Word of God is revealed, a keeper of the Word will awaken, like this hot potato right here.” He said while hooping Kevin’s nose again. 

Kevin slapped Cas’s hand away. “Please stop that.” 

“Anyway, Garrison code dictates you take the keeper to the desert to learn the Word away from men.” 

“What kind of sense does that make? He has to tell us so that we can use it.” 

Cas smiled. “That’s God and his shiny red apples.” 

Kevin panicked again. “I can’t live in the desert. I-I’m applying to Princeton!” 

“Okay, you know what? Screw the Garrison.” Dean said. “We need the tablet to end Dick Roman’s ‘Soylent Us’ crap.” 

“If you want the Word, you’ll have to duck Hester and her soldiers.” 

“Yeah, you’re in our corner, right Cas?” Sam asked him.

“No, I don’t fight anymore. I watch the bees.” Sam and Dean both exchanged glances. 

…

A few hours later, we returned to the Cabin and we were finishing up warding against angels. “Let’s leave off angel-proofing sigils or I’ll be expelled, too.” That reminder only added to the pit in my stomach. 

“As long as we’re invisible to your Garrison buddies, it works for me.” Sam said while starting to paint the windows. 

“Right.” Then he turned to me with a tilted head. “Sam and Dean are warded against the angel’s finding them. Would you like for me to help you with that?” 

“Warded?” Dean and Kevin went downstairs while we got the sigils going And I said, “what do mean?” 

“It will keep the angels from finding you. It’s pretty invasive though.” Sam said. 

“I already have an anti-demon tattoo, I’d say I’m pretty committed. Alright. What is-“ I was cut off as Cas moved to me and placed a hand on my chest, just below my collar bone. The wind was knocked out of me as I felt burning around the edges of my chest for a moment. When he let me go I was breathing hard and Sam was at my side. “What. The actual. Hell?” I said between pants. 

“I carved Enocian symbols on your ribs. The angels can’t find you now specifically.” 

“Oh. Just that.” The angel then walked away. 

“You okay?” Sam asked as I calmed down. 

“Yeah. Just wished I had a little warning,” I said rubbing my sternum a bit. The pain was gone but I felt strange. With out much of another word we got back to work. 

Once we finished, I asked, “Castiel? Can we speak for a moment? Please.” 

I took him into the back bedroom. He just went up the sigiled window and looked out. 

“Castiel?” I asked gently. “What did you mean by angelic offspring yesterday? At the hospital?” 

“You.” He said. 

I furrowed my eyebrows. “Me?” 

“Yes...you’re descended from one? Didn’t you know that?” Not an ounce of a lie. I stared at the angel wide eyed. 

“No...I-I didn’t know that…how do you know that?” 

“It’s in your soul. Part of it is made from grace. It must be where you get your abilities.” He mused a bit. “Surprisingly your the first of your kind that I have ever met. And I have been around for a long time. Though I had heard of a few over the last few centuries.” 

I took a breath. _He wouldn’t lie to me_. And I thought back about my family’s strange history. Then he asked, “are we finished.” I nodded as I sat down with it. 

“Castiel?” 

“Yes?” 

“Could we keep this between us?” I asked him as I stood again. “I want to be the one to tell the boys. When I’m ready.” 

He smiled a bit and nodded. Then he walked out. I followed him after shedding off my jacket. I was just in my t-shirt and jeans. Cas and Sam had sat down at the table, while I just sat down in my chair by the couch. As much as I tried to listen, my head was running around with what I had just learned. 

_I’m part angel?_ I asked myself. None of it and all of it made sense. Ever since I was a child, I had had my abilities. I was always different. And to add to it, so was my father, and my grandmother. And those were the only ones in my family that I knew who had abilities. _Why didn’t I know? Why wasn’t I told this?_

Sam’s voice snapped me out of my daze. “Hey. You okay?” 

I looked up at him and said, “yeah. Yeah...just thinking.” 

He sat down on the couch. “You wanna talk about it?” 

I chuckled a little. “Yeah, not ready for that, yet. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.” 

“Well...when you do...you can talk to me.” He said. 

I smiled at him. “Thanks. Hell, after this prophet business calms down, we can take a drive.” Dean then came up from down stairs. “Hey. How’s Kevin?” I asked. 

“He’s...adjusting.” He looked around. “Where’s Meg?” 

“Oh crap.” I said when we realized that she was gone to who knows where. 

“I’ll draw the devil’s trap.” Sam said as he stood. 

We laid in wait for about an hour for Meg to come back. She was just a little surprised when she was stopped by the Devil’s trap at the door. 

“Didn’t expect to see you back.” Sam said with a wave of anger. 

“Yeah, not without the King’s army.” Dean said then gestured towards her. “Knife.” 

She handed it to him. “Typical. I save our bacon, and you're sitting here, waiting by a devil's trap. Seriously, I just killed two of Crowley's men. I could have gone the other way on that.”

“It’s true, incidentally. There’s other demons’ blood on that blade.” Cas said. 

Dean then looked at me. “She’s not lying.” I said quietly. 

Still we all stared at her for her reasons. “Look, I'm simpler than you think. I've figured one thing out about this world – just one, pretty much. You find a cause, and you serve it. Give yourself over, and it orders your life. Lucifer and Yellow Eyes-their mission was it for me.”

“So, what? We should trust you because you wanted to free Satan from Hell?” Dean asked. Anger came in waves from both boys. 

“I’m talking ‘cause,’ douchebag,” She said, with a wave of anger. “As in reason to get up in the morning. Obviously, these things shift over time. We learn, we grow. Now, for me _currently_ , the cause is bringing down the King. And I know I’ll need help to do it.”

“Crowley ain’t the problem this year.” Dean reasoned. 

“When are you gonna get it? Crowley's always the problem. He's just waiting for the right moment to strike. I know what I'm supposed to do. And it isn't screw with Sam and Dean or lose the only angel who'd go to bat for me.” 

Castiel smiled at that. “Let her out.” I said quietly. I earned a bitch face from Sam for that. “What? She’s not lying. And...I can understand her reasoning. I get you don’t trust her, but...trust me?” 

Meg smirked at me. “I always liked you.” 

Sam sighed and broke the Devils trap, then he sat down on the arm of the couch. Meg stepped out and moved towards Cas. “This is good,” he said, “harmony and communication. Now our only problem is Hester.” I raised my eyebrows at that. 

“What?” 

“Well, here, we're hidden from the Garrison, but when you killed a demon, you put out a pretty clear beacon.” 

My eyes grew wide. “We need better angel-proofing now.” Meg said as she moved next to him. Fear began to grip all of us. 

The door burst open. Hester found us. “Oh crap.” I said as we backed away, Sam standing a bit in front of me as three angels descended into the room. 

The blonde angel shouted, “You took the Prophet from us?!” Burning anger wafted off her. 

“I’m-I’m sorry?” Cas said as she moved towards him. 

“You have fallen in every way imaginable.” 

The other angel spoke. “Please, Castiel. We have to follow the code. Help us do our work.” 

Dean tried to reason with them. “He can’t help you. He can’t help anybody.” 

“We don’t need his help...or his permission.” She nodded at the angel next to her. He disappeared, “the Keeper goes to the desert tonight.” 

My eyes grew wide as the angels had Kevin by the shoulders when they reappeared. Along with the tablet. Dean began. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back off. We’re actually trying to clean up one of your angel’s messes. You know that.” 

“He's right. An angel brought the Leviathan back into this world, and-and they begged him. They begged him not to do it.” Castiel said with a wave of guilt. 

“Look, just give us some time, okay? We will take care of your Prophet.” Dean said. 

“Why should we give you anything...After everything you have taken from us? The very touch of you corrupts. When Castiel first laid a hand on you in Hell, he was lost! For that, you're going to pay.” Hester began walking towards Dean as my eyes grew wide. 

Castiel stepped forward. “Please. They’re the ones we were out here to protect.” 

She stared at him with fire in her eyes. “No, Castiel.” She backhanded him and he fell to the ground. As we went to try and help, the other two angels stepped in front of us, threatening us with their fingers. As strange as it was, Sam and Dean stopped me from going further. “No more madness!” Hester punched him. “No more promises,” Another punch. “No more new gods.” Now she was on top of him holding a blade. 

One of the angels grabs her arm, “Hester! No! Please! There’s so few of us left.” She punched him too. 

“You wanted free will.” She said to Cas. “Now I’m making the choices.” Before she could make that final blow, Meg took her own blade and ran it right through Hester. Bright white light blazes from her as we cowered away. Covering our eyes, 

She screamed and fell dead after the light is gone. We all look up at Meg. “What? Someone had to.” 

Before anyone could say another word, my feet staggered. I felt lightheaded. And everything went black. 

…

I woke up to a migraine and the smell of coffee brewing. Without opening my eyes I realized that I was on the couch of the cabin. I slowly sat up and pinched the bridge of my nose. “Hey. Hey.” Sam was sitting next to me within seconds. He held a glass of water. “Here drink.” 

I drank the entire glass in one breath. “What time is it?” I asked in a groggy voice.

“About five am.” I heard Dean from the kitchen. 

“What happened?” 

“I killed Hester and you passed out.” Meg said from my chair. 

“What about Kevin?” 

“He downstairs working. Almost done too.” Dean said walking towards us. “You okay?” 

I nodded. “Yeah. I think so. I feel like I’m having the worst hangover in my life.” There was an awkward pause as the brother’s exchange glances. I looked up at Meg. 

“I’m gonna check on Cas.” She got up from the chair and went downstairs. Dean then sat where she was. 

“What happened after I blacked out?” I asked. 

“Uh...the angels checked on you and said that you, uh...passed out from exhaustion. Side effect from the death of an angel.” Sam told me. 

Dean then looked at me straight in the eye. “They also said you were part angel.” 

I sighed. “Dammit.” 

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Sam said, a wave of hurt came over. 

“I didn’t have the time really.” I bit my lip. “I only found out...a few hours ago.” 

Dean raised an eyebrow. “Cas?” 

I nodded. “I was trying to wrap my head around it, before I told you boys...I didn’t want you to find out this way.” 

“It’s not your fault.” Sam said with his puppy-dog eyes. 

I looked away. “I still don’t even know what to say. It makes sense.” 

“How?” Dean asked. 

“My family. Remember how I said that my abilities run in my family.” They nodded. “Well, my father had it, my grandmother had it, and…I never met him, but...my great grandfather, had it. And no one knows where he got it from.

“When I was little, when they first figured out that I had these abilities, my grandmother talked to me. She talked about her father. She always said how strange he was. Granted, I’ve always thought that she was a little crazy. And that...he was born half human. And half something else…” 

“He was a nephilim.” I heard Castiel say from behind us. Light was starting to come back into the room as he walked over and smiled. 

“A nephilim?” I asked. 

“Half human, half angel. They are strictly forbidden...but they do happen.” 

“Right. I’m kind of living proof.” I said dryly. 

“Why didn’t you tell her before?” Dean asked. 

“When we met...back then I didn’t understand what angels were. There was no time when my memories returned. And now you understand you are part angel.” 

“Are the other’s still here?” I asked. 

“They are watching over the prophet. But they have agreed to keep your status a secret. No need for the others to know for now.” I nodded. 

I looked up. “Thank you Castiel.” I looked at them and frowned. “I guess I need to go pack my stuff.” 

A wave of confusion came from all three. “What? Why?” Sam asked. 

“You don’t want me around do you? What happened to Angels are dicks? No offense.” I said to Cas. 

“None taken. We can be like male genitalia.” I chuckled at that. 

“Yeah. But...there are exceptions.” Dean stood and clapped a hand over my shoulder. “We want you here. Besides we need all hands on deck to take down Dick.” 

“Really?” 

Sam looked at me. “Of course.” 

“Okay.” I said with a small smile. 

Soon enough, Kevin finished up with the translation of the tablet at the table later that morning. He handed Sam a notebook. “Thanks, Kevin. Not a lot of people could have handled this.” 

“You doing alright there chosen one?” Dean asked. 

“Yeah.” He said with a smile. 

“Thank you Kevin. We mean it.” I said to him. 

Then one of the angels said, “Are you ready, Kevin Tran?” Kevin stood next to the angels as they both put a hand on his shoulders. “Bring the Keeper to his home. We can watch over him there.” 

All three angels and Kevin disappeared. Then Dean turned to Cas. “I couldn’t find Meg anywhere.” 

“Yes, well, she enjoys laying low.” The angel said. 

Sam then read through the notes. “Here.” I looked over his shoulder. “‘Leviathan cannot be slain but by a bone of a right mortal washed in the three bloods of the fallen.’ Uh…says we need to start with the blood of a fallen angel.” We all looked up at Cas. 

He smiled a little, “Well, you know me.” A small bottle of blood appeared in his hand. “I’m always happy to bleed for the Winchesters.” He handed the bottle to Dean. 

“What are you gonna do, Cas?” Dean asked with a wave of concern. 

“I don’t know.” He smiled some more. “Isn’t that amazing?” Then he disappeared. 

I sighed as Sam went back to reading the translation. Dean just said, “Well, let’s get to work.” 


	16. There Will Be Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The search is on for the necessary ingredients to make the weapon to kill Dick Roman. While doing so, Crowley ends up sending us towards the Alpha Vampire and we wrestle with Bobby and his ever going obsession with ending the monster who killed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of all the season seven episodes I got to write for this, this one has to be my favorite. It really dives more into reader’s backstory more and shows the growth and bond between her and the brothers. Plus any episode with the alpha vamp is some of my favorites of the series. Enjoy! Can’t wait to post the last one and get to season eight! More on after notes. :)-Indigo

“ _I won’t let pain turn my heart into something ugly. I will show you that surviving can be beautiful._ ” Christ Ann Martine 

  
  
  


I poured myself another cup of coffee, third this morning. Research had been a grueling process for the last few days. Sam was sitting at the table reading on his laptop while I was going through some lore books next to him. Dean sat on the couch reading through the notebook _again_. 

“Okay, man, I have read this more times than the _Playboy_ I found in Dad’s duffle.” 

I chuckled a little. Then Sam asked, “Anna Nicole?” I quirked an eyebrow. 

“Anna Nicole. Oh the good-they die young, huh?” Dean replied. 

“I am right here, guys.” I reminded them, though with a smirk. 

Sam sighed. Frustration waved off them both. Dean then said, “Look, we can read this till our eyes bleed. It ain’t getting any clearer.” He closed it and put it on the coffee table in front of him. 

“Okay. Then what does it mean?” Sam asked. 

“Uh...Cut off the head, and the body will flounder.” 

“Yeah.” 

“Okay.” I said closing the book in front of me, “Well, I think we all agree that, uh, the head is _Dick_. Right?” 

“Right.” 

“So, bottom line is, we go grab the stuff, and we mix ourselves a weapon. End of story.” Dean said then took a drink from his beer. 

“Look, I'm all for killing Dick.” Sam said, with a wave of caution. “I'm just saying, what then? I mean, what about the rest of the Leviathan? What, are they gonna just...drop dead?” 

“I don’t know. Maybe.” Dean said. 

“Maybe? ‘Maybe’ is good enough for you right now?” 

“One problem at a time, alright?” 

I crossed my arms as I listened then said,“Okay. But it’s not a crazy idea to try and figure out what the catch is before we go crashing at the gate.” 

Dean then looked at us. “Maybe _this_ is the catch. God's not telling us every detail. You know? The word is from God. I don't know how much better it's gonna get.” He leaned back again and put his feet on the coffee table to go back to reading. 

I took a breath as I sensed something in the room. My spine started to go warm, and I let a few walls fall. As soon as I saw Bobby’s red aura, I put them back up and went back to my book. He was the last person I wanted to see right now in the middle of this. 

Later that day, I had gone through every book we had. Sam had started going through _Sucrocorp_ media. Dean then went up to the whiskey and poured a glass. “You pouring me one too?” I asked hardly looking up from the book I was rereading. 

He smirked and got another glass. “Little FYI. Bobby’s officing out in the John these days.” 

“Uh...awkward.” Sam said. 

Dean sat down and handed me my glass. I took a sip of the burning liquid as he said, “Yeah, you’re telling me. Uh, he does have some ideas about the weapon, though.” 

“Really?” Sam asked. “Well, uh, he may be just in time.” He turned his laptop around to show Dean an article. 

“‘Roman acquires…’ What’s _Sucrocorp_?” 

“They make food additives, namely high-fructose corn syrup. That crap is in-well, it’s in just about everything-um, soda, sauces, bread.” 

Dean gave a wave of horror. “Don’t say pie.” 

“Definitely pie.” I told him. 

“ _Bastards_.” That earned a chuckle form both of us. “So now what? Roman’s moved past restaurants?” 

“And into grocery stores, Gas n’Sips, vending machines.” Sam said. 

“What can we do about it?” I asked. 

“Short of going Al Qaeda on their trucks and plants, there’s nothing we can do about it.” 

Without warning, my spine lit up again and the laptop screen closed. I glared at Dean. “Like I said, uh, Bobby’s got some ideas.” 

So we decided to conjure the king of freaking hell. After Sam said the words and Dean bled into a bowl, I lit a match and tossed it. After the flames rose then died, Crowley appeared. 

“Hello, Boys.” He greeted and smiled at us. Even meeting him once, it was still a little jarring to see the man in person, his power overflowing the room. 

“We need your blood. To end Dick.” Dean told him. 

“How did you get an idea like that.” 

“We found the word of God.” I said to him. 

“So, that’s what all the ‘rumble, rumble’ was about. Who translated it for you?” 

“Never mind, you gonna give us the blood or not?” Dean asked with a wave of annoyance. 

“Happily. But not quite yet. I'm all for chopping Dick, but I can't have you running around with a vial of my blood, now, can I? You know the sheer number of nefarious spells my enemies can use that blood for?” 

“Well, then when?” 

“Last. After you've got all the other components. Most difficult, the angel part, I'm assuming.” There was a pause. None of us wanted to give Cas up. “Given your role in their little _apocalypse_ , I can't imagine the choirboys upstairs are wetting their vestments to do you – what's the word? – a solid. Unless, of course, you have an angel up your sleeve?” 

“Well, that’d be convenient, but, uh, no.” Dean lied. 

I crossed my arms at the Demon, Sam then said, “Don't worry about it. We'll get the angel blood one way or another. We just need you to be ready next time we call.”

“Fine. Oh, here’s a tip. I have it on good authority there’s one Alpha still among us.” 

“Whose authority?” Dean asked. 

“Mine.” He waited a beat. “Wily character, that Alpha vampire. Somehow made good his prison break before Cas went nuclear on the place.” 

“And you know this how?” I asked. 

He smirked a little at me. “Keep your friends close, your enemies, blah blah. Needless to say, I keep tabs. He moves around, quite a bit. But I have an inkling I know where to start the Easter-egg hunt. And it’s a good thing you have her.” He pointed at me. “I heard your folks were some of the best Vampire hunters in the states...before they were killed of course. Happy trails.” I gritted my teeth at that. Then he disappeared. 

“Okay. Where jackass?” Dean asked angrily then a burst of flames erupted behind us. On the table were flames, and when they died down, words had been carved on the table. 

“Hoople, North Dakota.” Sam read outloud. 

“Piece of paper would have worked.” Dean said. 

We took off towards North Dakota. Riding in the backseat of the car, I fiddled with the hilt of my sword. It reminded me of my dad. Before he was a hunter, he was an actual blacksmith. He would work on metals mostly like horse shoes and things, but his big passion was swords and daggers. He would recreate things for collectors all the time. When he became a hunter along side my mom, he created one for himself and her. One that he could use when up against vampires. That was their specialty. After all, I had some sense that vamps were the reason why my mother got us into hunting in the first place. And when I took up hunting, my dad made the one I had. I smiled at it. It was something he made with his own hands and with love. It was almost like taking him with me. 

“What are you smiling about?” Sam asked. 

I chuckled. “My dad. God, if he could see me now. I mean, that was the dream for my parents. Hunting down the Alpha vampire. Starting the end of the vampire basically...they would be proud.” 

“I bet.” Dean said, “by the way, you never told me the story of how you got that thing.” 

I smiled. “Well, my dad made it. Especially for me. It’s served me well over the years. Can’t tell you number of heads I made roll. It’s killed a few demons too. Makes me wish my dad was here.” 

They both nodded at that. They understood missing their father as much as I did. It’s something that never seems to go away.   
…

We got to Hoople about mid-afternoon. We stopped at a gas station to fill up. We were waiting for it as Sam said, “Hey.” He got Dean’s attention and made a motion of drinking from a flask. 

Dean took it out of his pocket and threw it in the back of the car. I took the gas pump out the car and hung it back up then we all walked towards the convenience store. “He seem angry?” Sam asked. 

“Angry? Of course he’s angry.” Dean replied, “if you were Bobby, wouldn’t you be?” 

“But was he showing signs of fatigue, like-like fritzing?” 

“No, actually, it was just the opposite. He said he never felt stronger.” 

I looked up at Dean and said, “That’s not good.” 

“That’s What I was afraid of.” Sam said. They both sent waves of worry while I had a pit in my stomach. We walked into the convenience store. 

“The stronger he gets, the closer he comes to going full vengeful spirit. That’s reality guys.” I told them while walking down an aisle. 

“We need to talk about what we’re going to do with him.” Sam said finally. 

“Do with him?” Dean asked. A wave of anger came over him. 

“Yeah.” 

“Three weeks ago, you were-you were talking how this could work. And now-now you want to go _Kevorkian_ on his ass?” 

“I'm just saying that the lore doesn't have a single real-life example of _Casper the Friendly Ghost_. It's all basically poltergeists until a hunter comes along…” Sam trailed off. 

“Yeah, well, the lore sucks.” 

“Dean...how many vengeful spirits have we seen and dealt with between the three of us? Too many. I don’t want Bobby going down on this road. I don’t think you do either.” I told him. 

Sam continued while we shopped. “I'm talking pure hatred, Dean. No humanity. I mean, he could...kill...possess people. I mean, Bobby could burn this friggin' building down. Look, if he goes off the rails-“ 

“Hey.” 

“What?” 

“Check out that guy over there. He seem a little out of it to you?” Dean asked and gestured towards a man who is slowly pumping mustard onto a hot dog. 

I raised an eyebrow. “I-I don’t know. Maybe.” Sam replied. 

Then I noticed a woman staring at the beer fridge. “What about her?” I asked. 

“Paula Deen? Yeah.” Dean replied. 

“Yeah, they-they look like uh…like those Turducken people.” Sam said then picked up a can while I took a look at a bottle of flavored water. “It’s the corn syrup. Everything in the store is laced with it.” 

Shock and horror came from them both. “Everything?” Dean asked. 

“Yeah. I think so…” I said staring at them all. I focused on the waves around me. _Pure indifference_. “I can sense it now.” 

Then I looked back at Dean. “Hey, man, I’m gonna go into toxic shock, okay? I-I...I need my road food.” 

“That’s What Roman is banking on.” Sam told him. 

Dean noticed a small pie on the shelf in front of him and looked at the label. “Hey. Hey! This one says ‘natural.’ Th-th-that means it’s safe. Right?” 

Sam put it back on the shelf. “I hate to break it to you, but corn syrup is natural, _technically_.” 

“Well, then, what the hell are we supposed to eat?” Sam held up his basket with bananas and bottled water. 

As soon as I felt Dean’s frustration, I said, “this is going to be a long-ass trip.” 

…

We tracked down the house Crowley was talking about and staked it out for a few hours. Dean was watching through some binoculars as I sat in the back seat. A constant burn on my spine told me Bobby was sitting right next to me. That, and he had manifested a few minuets ago. 

“It’s totally dark.” Dean took down the binoculars. “I can’t see inside.” 

“Well, should we wait for daylight?” Sam asked. 

“Hell no, we’re not waiting. I’ll scout it.” Bobby said. “See if we need to bring in the big guns.” 

“I don’t know, Bobby.” I said. Then her flickered out and left the car. “Why do I even try?” Sam and Dean looked back at the empty seat. Dean turned and checked the house again. Just in time for Bobby to reappear. 

“Okay. Place is clear. But there’s something you’re gonna want to see.” 

Complete with my sword, we broke into the house. The boys had machetes as we walked through the main space. There were three rotting bodies laid out on the table. “Careful.” Dean said. He and I leaned over one of the bodies to take a closer look. They were burned around the mouth, and clearly had fangs. “You know a way to kill vamps with battery acid?”

“Nothing that I’ve ever seen.” I told him. 

“Only way I know is beheading.” Bobby replied. 

“Well, something didn’t agree with them.” Sam looked around the room. “Hey, check out that wall. Something seem weird to you?” We walked towards it as Sam started examining it. 

“There’s someone behind there.” I said as soon as I sensed it, fear but calm was waving off. “We need to open it.” 

“Yeah, see if you can find a switch or a lever or something.” Dean said. 

“Don’t need one.” Bobby said as he walked through the wall. I shook my head as we started looking for something to trigger the wall to open. I sheathed my sword on my belt and started to look at the light fixtures. 

“Hey.” Sam said as he held up a book from the shelf in front of him. _How to Serve Man_. I quirked an eyebrow. Sam then pressed a button and the concealed doors opened. 

Behind them was Bobby and the young woman I sensed who was standing near a mantelpiece. She was holding a teddy bear, in a floral nightgown, standing in a very pink, child like room. As soon as she saw us, she backed away. 

“Hello.” I said gently. 

I heard Sam whisper, “Dean. Machete.” 

“Hey. Look.” Dean said. “We’re not gonna hurt you. Okay?” He showed his teeth to the girl. “No fangs. See?” 

I started to put two and two together. But I knew we had to be careful with her. She could be the key to finding the Alpha. “We just want to talk.” I told her. “Okay?” 

I introduced myself and the boys. She told us her name was Emily. She began to trust us a little as Dean put his jacket over her shoulders, and Sam made her some tea. We took her into the living room area and she sat in a chair in front of us. While Sam and I sat on the couch, Dean stood and Bobby wasn’t far off. “You can talk to us.” I told her. “We’re here to help.” 

She nodded. Then carefully, she started to open up. “I was 8. My mom left me at the playground while she ran to the store. A man approached me and said I was the prettiest girl there. And I've been living with these...things...ever since. At least until now.” All truths thankfully. 

“Do you have any idea why?” Sam asked her. 

“I'm one of his _special_ girls.” That made bile come up in the back of my throat. “All the others, it was their job to make sure I was ready for the Alpha, whenever he came. Wash me...give me my IV bags every day. It's my only food. So my blood's pure.” 

“They’ve been doing this for, what, twelve years?” Dean asked her. 

Before she spoke, I said, “Virgins are a delicacy.” I looked at them. “I’ve seen this before.” 

She nodded. “He always has at least one of us on hand.” 

“Well, don’t worry, okay? We’re gonna get you back to your mother.” Sam said gently. 

“Think she remembers me?” She asked. That broke my heart. 

“Of course she does.” I told her. “Don’t you remember her?” 

She shook her head no. I sighed. Then Dean asked. “Hey, these, uh...these guys,” he said and gestured towards the bodies behid him. “They, uh, friends of yours?” 

“They take care of the Alpha when he’s here. Or _did_.” 

“What happened to them?” Sam asked. 

“A week ago, they came back from what they said was an easy hunt. Three humans just came, didn't put up any fight. But when they started on them, the vampires screamed in pain. The ones who ate died immediately.” 

“And the ones who didn’t?” I asked. 

“There was only one. When he saw what happened, he moved to animals. He's out hunting as we speak.” 

“Never heard of vamps being allergic to humans before.” Dean said. 

“You think maybe it’s the corn syrup? I mean, think about it. The Gas n’Sip was lously with stoners. All ripe for the picking.” Sam asked, 

“She did say it was an easy hunt.” I replied. 

We turned back to her. “Do you know where the Alpha is now?” Sam asked. 

“I don't know. Maybe. He has a place he goes when something's wrong. He calls it his retreat.” 

Sam took out his cellphone. “Alright.” He said. 

She stared at it. “What is that?” 

“That's, uh, that's Sam's douche tracker. Helps us find the Alpha. All we need's an address.” I internally rolled my eyes at Dean. 

“I don’t know, but I remember things that maybe can help.” 

“That’s okay.” I told her. “Just do the best you can.” 

We found her some of clothes and got her in the car. She was quiet as we started driving for hours. Eventually we stopped to get some food at a grocery store. We left her sleeping in the car with Bobby and returned with a bunch of fresh vegetables and fruit. 

Dean, of course, was complaining. “I can’t do this, man. I can’t live on rabbit food. I’m-I’m a warrior.” 

“Dean, you’ll be fine.” I told him as we walked to the car. 

“You don’t know that.” 

“So what’s next on the list?” Sam asked. 

“Well, if we're bum-rushing the Alpha, then we're gonna need dead man's blood, which means a morgue. Or…” 

Dean stopped when he spotted something. Sam and I turned around. “Or what?” Sam asked. 

We followed his gaze to a man sitting on a nearby bench, drinking from a large takeout cup through a straw. I quirked an eyebrow. “Seriously?” I asked him with a smirk. 

“Dude, forget the morgue. We are swimming in vamp poison.” Dean said with a smile. 

We approached the man carefully. Sam started. “Excuse me, sir. Hi. We, uh, we're with the...Red Cross? See, we have an emergency shortage.” We held up our fake IDs. 

“And we’re gonna need you to…” I trailed off as the man just stared blankly at us waves of indifference and contentment came from him. “You’re not getting a word we’re saying are you?” 

Dean went up to the man. “Hey.” He snapped his fingers over the man’s face and he wouldn’t budge. He sat down next to him. “Hold out your arm. We need your blood.” 

“Dean!” 

“Dude!” Sam said at the same time as me. The man then held out his arm. 

“Alright, Sam.” Dean held out a syringe for him. “Tap the keg.” 

“Here?” Sam asked in horror. 

“Yeah, Sam, look around. It's friggin' Woodstock. Everybody's hopped up on the brown acid. We don't need the song and dance. Give him a little prick.” 

Sam took it from him and handed me the groceries. I stood casually, keeping watch as Sam sat next to the man. Within a few seconds, Sam stuck the man. “Ow! That hurts.” He didn’t protest much more as Sam drew blood. “This is for Hurricane Katrina, you said?” 

“Yes, yes, I did.” Dean said with a smile. Sam gave him a look for a moment while I kept watch. 

“So, look, uh...when we get there…” Sam started. 

“Yeah?” I asked. Sam glances back at the car. He then finished drawing the blood and capped it. Then he got out another syringe. 

“Bobby’s gonna have to hang back. Do you guys disagree?” Sam asked. 

“He ain't gonna like it. I mean, he helped us in getting Emily.” Dean reasoned. 

“Look, I'm Team Bobby, too. Okay? But there's a reason we left him in the car with Emily. You know that. The more action he sees, the more chance he gets to spin out.” 

“I think it’s for the best too.” I told them. “Who knows what he would do?” Then I saw a police car coming in slowly, music blaring out of it. 

Dean nodded. “Alright, fine. So, we'll keep him off the front lines, and he can just, you know, keep calm and carry on, right?” 

“Well, and if he can’t?” Sam put the syringes away as the police car blared by. 

…

We drove out of there and started trying to figure out where to find the Alpha.

“When they hauled you off to vamp camp, do you remember how long the drive was?” Dean as we drove along the dark road. 

“We left at night. Got in before dawn.” She told us. She was sitting next to me in the back seat. 

“So, six, seven hours?” Sam asked. 

“I think so, yes.” 

“Do you remember any highways?” I asked her. 

“No. We only took back roads.” 

“Okay. So figure they averaged forty five miles per-“ 

“Couldn’t have been more than three hundred miles.” Dean finished. 

“Right.” 

“What direction were you going in?” Sam asked. 

“I don’t know. I’m sorry.” 

“No, that’s okay. Em, you’re doing great.” I said with a smile. “Um...is there anything else you remember?” 

“Bells. As we pulled up, I heard these loud bells.” 

“It was still dark out?” Sam asked. 

“You Thinking church?” Dean asked. 

“No, that’s too early. It could have been a monastery.” 

I nodded. “Yeah, Monks get up at four am to pray.” 

“Ugh. Can't get laid. Can't sleep in. A friggin' tragedy.” Dean mused. Sam began to google something on his phone. “Okay, so, Alpha's camping next to a, uh, monkey house.” I rolled my eyes at that one. “How many we got in range?” 

“Looks like one. Just outside, uh...Missoula, Montana.” A wave of impression came from Emily. I didn’t say anything, but I found it strange. We drove for hours in silence as I thought about it and a lot of other things. For one, about my lineage. I still couldn’t wrap my head around being part angel. In moments like these, my thoughts would wave back to the shocking information. I suppose a part of me was still in denial. And it was driving me crazy. 

It was still dark when we pulled up outside of the monastery gates. “This is where he took me.” She said. 

There were several people around the grounds, appearing to keep watch. “Are you sure?” Sam asked her. 

Excitement came off her for some reason. She nodded in response and asked, “What now?” 

“We'll get you someplace safe. Circle back and _Ginsu_ these leeches.” Dean said and started the car. We drove off and found a motel. After showering and getting some sleep, daylight came, and we were getting ready to infiltrate the nest. As I pulled on my sword again over my belt, Emily was watching TV. I walked over to Sam and Dean as he started handing out syringes. “Alright, here we go. Ten CCs of _Vamptonite_.” Sam gave him a look. “It’s a thing.” 

“What’s a Kardasian?” Emily suddenly asked. 

I raised my eyebrows. Not sure what to say. Then Dean said, “Oh, that's, uh...just another bloodsucker.” Emily looked up worried. I hit him with the back of my hand on his arm. “No, it-it’s...a joke.” 

I shook my head and looked back to watch her. Dean went to the safe and put in the flask while Sam approached her. “Here. If we’re not back by dawn, call this number-Jody Mills. She’s a friend.” He gave her the paper with the number. “She’ll take care of you. Here, use this phone.” He handed her a burner phone. 

“Sam? Thank you.” 

“You bet.” 

I walked up to her and sat infront of her. “You okay?” She nodded. “Okay, we’re gonna do everything we can to help. Just stay and relax here.” 

As I got up to leave, she threw her arms around me in a hug. “Thank you.” 

I smiled and hugged her back. When she pulled away I said, “of course. Stay safe, okay?” 

I got off the bed and went to my bag. Dean went to open the door when it suddenly shut it self. I took a breath as we all looked at Emily. “It was the wind.” He turned and said lowly, “Chill out, Bobby. We’ll be back soon.” Then we left the room.

“Well, he didn’t take that very well.” Sam said. 

“How’d you think he was gonna take it?” 

As we turned the corner, Sam ran into a maid’s cart. “Excuse me.” She said. 

“Sorry.” He said and was continued down the hallway. 

…

We sat in front of the monastery again in the car. We watched for a few minutes. “Think we’ll actually pull this off?” I asked them. 

“Well, this time of day, most of them would be catching z's. They won't know what hit them.” Dean said, when Sam didn’t respond, he said, “Hey. You with me?” 

“Yeah.” 

“But?” 

“Are you sure you just want to charge in there, machetes blazing? Last time, it took a dozen hunters to take down the Alpha. And most of them didn't make it out.”

“Yeah, well, you got a better idea?” Dean asked. 

I quirked an eyebrow. “What are you thinking Sam?” 

Sam reasoned that we should try talking to the Alpha. Thinking that allyship would be better than ambush. Somehow he convinced Dean and I to walk in right through the front door. 

Dean kept muttering, “Stupid, stupid, stupid.” 

I shushed him as we made our way up the steps. I gripped the handle of my sword like my life depended on it. In that moment, I felt like it did. 

Sam pushed against the door and it opened slightly. “Dean.” 

“Maybe we're too late.” Dean said with a wave of hope. I shook my head as Sam stepped inside. 

Just as he got a foot in, someone grabbed him and pulled him inside the door. “Sam!” Dean and I shouted as we lunged for the door. We were grabbed before I could even unsheathe my sword. 

The three of us were dragged inside. They took our weapons and the blood from us, well what they could find. The vamp that took my sword thought it was especially interesting. “Where’d you get this?” 

I didn’t answer him. He just grabbed my arm and rushed me through the house, Sam and Dean behind me, and were pushed into a large dining room. I felt him as soon as we entered. The Alpha Vampire. 

“The Winchesters. I’m Intrigued.” The vampire that still had my sword took it to the Alpha. He laughed when he took it into his hands. “Ah, girl...I know your father’s handiwork anywhere.” He placed it gently on the table in front of him.

“You knew my father?” I asked. Then Emily came into the room. 

Shock came from the boys as she stood next to the vampire. “Emily.” Sam said. 

“Hi, Sam.” 

“Wow. For a girl raised in a basement, you’re a hell of an actress.” Dean said. _And not one lie too_. I mentally added. 

“You were gonna hurt my daddy.” She said, especially to me. 

“Hmm.” The vampire mused. 

“Wow. You get a trophy in Stockholm Syndrome. And sorry to burst your bubble, but, uh...we weren't. Sam here had a better idea.” Dean said with a wave of pride. 

“We’re here to talk. That’s it.” Sam said. Panic was waving off of all of us surrounded by the vampires. 

He laughed at us. “Now that my guys have taken your sword, your blades, and your syringes of tainted blood. Is that what you mean?” 

“Well, we, uh...figured you might hold a grudge.” 

“And why would I? Because you captured me, tortured me, sold me to the king of Hell?” 

“That was more our grandpa.” Dean said. A vamp came up behind him and slammed his head against the table. He fell to his knees and grunted as he staggered back up. The vamp just smiled. “Thank you. That was awesome.” 

“And you.” I looked up at him. “Your family prided themselves as my people’s best killers. Especially with these signature swords. Your bloodline is filled with killers.” 

“I won’t deny it. If that’s what you want.” I told him. 

He chuckled a little. “I'm going to peel off your faces and drink you slowly.” 

“Just listen.” Sam said. “You need us.” 

“Oh, yes. I am thirsty!” 

“The plague!” I said before he could get up. “We know what it is! What do you know about Leviathan?” 

“A bit.” 

Sam then said, “You know they're poisoning the food supply?” 

“Roman didn't mention that when we met for dinner last fall. We made lots of plans. We are on excellent terms, he and I.” I swallowed the bile in my mouth. 

“You sure about that? Did he mention that he was going to...Maui wowie the human population?” Dean asked. 

“Oh, of course. He said grabbing a snack would be easier than ever.” 

“He said you'd all live together, didn't he?” His silence told the Truth, Sam continued. “You really believe him? You think your children are dying by accident? There is pesticide in the formula!” 

“It suits you to think so. You need me on your side.” 

“Look, were not the ones burning from the inside out. Think about it. Whatever deal he made with was crap! Trust us!” I pleaded with him. 

“Why are you telling me this?” 

“Because we can stop Dick. Stop all of it. We just...We need your blood-for the weapon.” Sam said. 

He proceeded to laugh. “So now you want to _prevent_ the extermination of the vampire race.” 

“No.” Dean said. “But it beats going down with you.” 

The door where Emily came from creaked. “Allan, darling…” My breath hitched, and I wanted to throw up as I watched a young boy around the age of eight or nine walk towards the vampire. “Come.” He stood on the other side of his chair. 

“Well, the creep gets creepier.” 

“What wrong?” He asked the boy. Little waves of fear came from him. 

“Edgar’s here.” The boy said. Sam and Dean exchanged a look as I watched the boy leave the room. 

“Wow, what a funny coincidence. Alright, we need soap, uh, cleanser, anything with borax in it. We need knives.” Dean ordered. 

“Put them in the study.” The vampire ordered. 

“What? No.” I said as I was grabbed again. 

“No wait.” Sam pleaded. 

“Word of advice, boys. You do not live through centuries of fire and ice and continental divide...by jumping to conclusions.” That was the last words we heard from him as we were dragged out of the room. We protested at much as we could, but the vampires who had us were too strong. 

The study had bags of blood hanging and some chairs. “Great. This is where they harvest.” I said dryly. 

The boys and I started to looking for a way out. Dean tried the door as I looked for another entrance. “Anything?” Dean asked. 

“Nothing.” Sam said as he looked at the windows. I walked back to Dean and shook my head. “You think Edgar's here for the same reason we are? I mean, look, if they figured out that we're here to get Alpha blood for a weapon…” 

“I think any way you slice it, you got _Pac Man_ and _True_ _Blood_ in the same room and that's bad news. I mean, he's not stupid. Why the hell do you think he locked us in here?” 

“To Eat us, probably.” I said. 

Sam then reasoned, “Dean, we're his enemy. I mean, they're like monster cousins or something. Who would you give the benefit of the doubt to? Man, you know what? Maybe the _Sucro_ is poisoning the vamps on accident. Maybe they'll fix it.” 

“Sam,” I said, “I doubt it. The Levi’s are...their the alpha type. They want to be on top, and eliminate any threat to that. I think Vampire falls under that list.” 

He nodded, then looked at Dean. “What do you think?” 

“I think you got the oldest monster on earth thinking that he can hold his own because he always has.” Dean said. 

“Edgar’s gonna eat him alive.” 

“Yeah.” Dean then Noticed the bags of blood. “Hey,” he found a needle attached to one and took it off, “you think you could pick a lock isn’t this?” 

Sam took it, then said, “But Dean...We gave up all our Vamptonite.” 

“Did we?” Dean asked and bent down to get a syringe that he stashed in his boot under his pant leg.” 

I smirked. “Great minds, right?” I got my own from my boot, and proudly showed it to them. 

“Right.” Sam said and went to the door. He unlocked it in a few minutes, and we walked right out. We made our way down the stairs silently, Sam behind Dean and I. Once we reached the bottom, Sam was grabbed by a vamp. I launched myself onto him and plunged the needle into its neck. He screamed and his flesh began to burn as he crumbled to the ground in a few seconds. “Thanks.” Sam said to me with a smile. 

“Wow. Nice shot.” Dean said. 

I smiled back. “ _Vamptonite_.” 

“Friggin' _vamptonite_. All right, we need knives. There's got to be a prep room or a kitchen somewhere. Come on.” 

“All I’m saying, I better get my sword back. I’ll fight the alpha with my bare hands if I have to.” 

They both chuckled. “I bet you would.” Dean said. 

“I’d bet you’d win.” Sam whispered. I smiled at that. 

…

We went in when we heard screaming. Dean advanced towards Edgar from behind. Then the Levi turned and grabbed Dean’s arm before he could swing and knocked the machete to the ground. Before he could eat him, Sam cut off his head. And the body fell to the floor. 

We all turned to the Alpha. “Grab a glass. We’re juicing this freak.” Dean went towards him. 

Emily shouted. “No!” 

“Stay back!” Dean shouted at her before the Vamp threw Dean across the table. I scrambled and grabbed my sword from it. 

“Leave her alone. She’s been through quite enough.” The vampire said. 

“Now, that’s rich...coming from the guy who took her off the swing-set.” I said as I stood with my sword, ready to strike. 

“Do you want to do this fight? Or do you want my blood?” He sat down as we stood frozen. We watched as he took a glass and slit his own wrist. After it filled up to as much as he wanted, he picked up the glass and offered it to Sam. “For taking care of Edgar. Now go.” 

“What about the little boy?” I asked him. 

“Are you joking?” He stared daggers at me. 

“Do we look like we're joking? How many other kids you got in here, you freak?” Dean said. 

He thought for a few seconds. “At the moment, just him.” For a beat, he Looked at us, then relented, “Emily...help Allan with his coat. He's leaving with the hunters.” She left the room. “Now, take it.” 

Sam took the glass and we made our way towards the door. “What? No ‘thank you?’ Oh, right, right. Your flesh is crawling.” We all stopped to look at him. “All you really want to do is kill me now. You hate having to wait and come back and try again.” 

“Pretty much.” Dean said dryly. I looked at the body. “I wouldn’t leave that head too close to that body for too long.” 

“See you next season.” 

“Looking forward to it.” I said with a smirk and gripping my sword tightly. We walked out of there, with the boy and the blood. I didn’t feel relieved until we reached the motel. The boy was with the authorities and on his way home. 

“Let’s never do that again. Cops thought _we_ took that kid.” Dean said. 

“Long as he gets back to his folks, I don't care what they thought.” Sam said with a wave of satisfaction. 

“Me too.” I said with a smile. 

“We had to jump out a freakin’ window, man.” Dean said, and I chuckled a little. 

“Yeah. I know-“ then we saw the motel door was sitting ajar. All three of us took out our guns and we moved. We walked in, to see no one was there, but the mirror was smashed and the safe was left open. 

“Bobby. Bobby?” Dean called. 

“Dean?” Sam showed that the safe was opened. “He’s gone.” I closed the door behind us. 

We started looking for any sign or clue of where he went. Sam came out the bathroom scanning for EMF. “I'm getting trace bits of EMF, but it's fading fast. And Bobby's probably been gone three or four hours. He's got the flask, Dean. How the hell are we supposed to track him? Look, I hate to say this…”

“Well, then don’t. He’s gone.” He laughed a little and signed with disbelief wafting off him. “How could he do this...now? I mean, we’ve got half the freakin’ weapon, we’re almost there.” 

“It’s not him.” I said. “I mean, he’s not thinking.” 

“So, what, we just keep going while he's out there like this?” 

“Do we have any other option? I mean, it's what he'd want us to do. Right?” Sam said. 

“Yeah. Yeah, him and Frank and Cas, if his marbles were in the bag. It's a good thing we got Crowley in our corner. Right? Seeing as how it all comes down to him. What could possibly go wrong?” 

“So many things.” I reasoned. “But at least we got each other right?” I asked. 

He and Sam half smiled at me gently. _God, I hope it’s enough_. I thought. We decided to stay the night. I was taking a shower when Dean announced through the door that he was going to take a walk. So when I came out in my pjs, it was just Sam left in the room with me. 

He was in some sleeping clothes, looking through his dad’s journal. He had the couch tonight, so he was sprawled over, almost too big for it. I chuckled a little and he looked up at me. “What?” 

I smiled and walked to my bed. “Nothing.” He went back to reading as I climbed into bed. For a few minutes, I laid there, trying to sleep. But my thoughts were too loud. “Hey Sam?” 

“Yeah.” I didn’t look up at him. 

“When this is over...if and when we win...would you guys help me with something?” I asked. 

“Of course, but...with what?” 

“Him. The angel. _My_ angel.” I said slowly. 

“That’s a big ask.” 

“I know, but...you guys saved the world a couple times.” I smiled a that. “I don’t think it’s impossible.” 

I felt his gaze on me and smiled some more. “You should get some sleep.” 

“I will. Goodnight Samuel.” I said closing my eyes. 

“Goodnight.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Season eight is probably my favorite of the series. It has my favorite episodes with a lot of the side characters, such as Charlie and Mrs. Tran, and I love the Purgatory storyline so much. Next chapter though will finally be *spoiler* pay off for a certain pair. (Wink, wink) so look forward to that. Will be out soon!-Indigo


	17. Survival of the Fittest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Putting together the weapon that could end of Dick Roman is not an easy task. Especially when dealing with angels and ghosts of old friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s the last chapter for Season 7. Oh my goodness. Just wanted to say thanks for everyone who has been following along, leaving kudos and comments. It’s been a wonderful ride and I can’t wait for more! First chapter of season 8 will be under The Huntress Pt. II

“ _Today I choose courage over comfort._ ”-Brené Brown 

  
  
  


Finding the bone of a most righteous person didn’t seem that hard. But then you have to go into what exactly makes a person righteous, and I was in no mood for a philosophical argument. Then Dean made a joke, which lead to us driving down the road at night, planning on digging up a dead nun. “Alright. Exit’s in three miles.” Sam told him. 

“I still say this is a bad idea.” Dean replied. 

“Dean, it was _your_ idea, and it was the best one any of us had.” I told him. 

“I said it as a joke.” 

“It was a bad joke—good idea.” Sam replied with a small wave of amusement, but filtered with annoyance. 

“Yeah, only because we got no magic spell, no book – nothing on how to find a freakin' righteous bone.” 

“Please don’t start bickering again,” I snapped. Their silence and waves of annoyance were their only response. 

After a beat, Sam said, “We can call Castiel again.” 

“Dude, _on my car_ ,” he swore, “he showed up _naked_...covered in bees.” 

“Yeah, I’m not really sorry I missed that.” 

“Ditto.” I added. Dean then turned on the radio. 

A man and woman were talking about Dick Roman. I rolled my eyes at the name, tired of hearing it. Then we caught, “ _he’s holed up at Sucrocorp headquarters right now…_ ” 

Dean shut it off again. “Holed up at _Sucrocorp_ Huh?” He and Sam exchanged a look. 

“Yeah that’s not good. You might want to step on it.” To which Dean silently edged up on the gas. 

Soon enough, we got to the old nunnery and broke in. The first thing we went looking for was a book on the names and deaths of the nuns. Then we headed to the crypt. Dean and I manned the flashlights as Sam carried the book down into the burial place. 

“Well, I guess if we can't find a righteous bone in a friggin' nunnery crypt.” Dean said. 

“Yep. Otherwise I’d feel terrible for the virgins.” I said dryly as we opened up the iron rod gates that lead into the room with the seals. 

“Alright. Here-“ Sam started reading. “listen to this. Sister Mary Benedict, uh, taught the learning-impaired and died at age 23.” 

Dean shook his head, “Eh, it's a little young. Find someone who's had time to cook.” 

“Okay, well, there was, uh...Sister Mary Eunice. Uh, Fed the poor, became Mother Superior at age 60.” 

“Sounds Political. Power corrupts and all that.” I told him. Dean just nodded. 

“Right. Um...listen to this-Sister Mary Constant, 83 years of quiet, humble, nun-like goodness. What do you think?” Both Dean and I leaned over and looked at the page. 

“Wow. I want to be more righteous just reading this.” Dean said, a wave of impression wafted off him. 

“Exactly.” 

“Alright then. I lay my odds on her.” I said. 

“Here we go.” Dean said as we found her plaque. “Well...let’s bone this nun.” 

“Dude.” I said as Sam and both gave him a look. 

“Sorry.” Dean took out a mallet and smashed the stone plaque with ease. Soon enough Sam and Dean took the coffin out and I used a crowbar to pry the lid open. 

“We’re so going to hell for this.” I muttered as Dean took out her femur. 

“Been there, done that.” He said as he stared at it. “Let’s go.” 

We got the hell out of dodge and headed straight back to Rufus’s cabin. By the time we got there, it was daylight. We worked immediately to put together a summoning spell. As soon as the match lit the contents of the bowl, we expected the Demon. But he was nowhere to be seen. 

“Is he trying to make a grand entrance or…?” Dean asked. 

“I don’t know…” Sam said. He had a wave of worry come off him. 

“Son of a bitch. He's standing us up.” 

I shook my head. “I don’t think that’s how it works.” 

“Well,” Sam said. “We summoned him, doesn't he kind of have to-“ 

“If Crowley wants to screw you, he'll screw you.” Dean walked away. 

“Or...he can't come 'cause something went wrong.” 

“Maybe.” There was a knock at the door. Sam and I exchanged a look and both took out our guns as I made my way to the door. “Maybe it’s good news.” Dean said dryly. 

I rolled my eyes and looked through the peephole. I chuckled a little and opened the door. “You deal with him. I can’t anymore.” Med said as she walked in. 

“You might want to be more specific.” Dean said while annoyance wafted off the two of them. 

“I was laying low halfway across the world when emo boy pops up out of nowhere and zaps me right back here.” 

“Why?” 

She rolled her eyes. “Go ask him. He was your boyfriend first.” Dean huffed, grabbed his jacket, and went outside. I smirked at that. 

“How you been Meg?” I asked, grabbing a bottle of water from our fridge. 

She quirked an eyebrow at me while Sam went to sit on the end of the couch watching her every move. “Just dandy till angel face out there brought me to see the Winchesters.” She looked me up and down as I leaned against the counter. “How do you deal with them twenty four/seven?” 

I chuckled. “Best I can I guess.” I said smiling, glancing over at Sam. He smiled a little too, though he was still wary of Meg.

Dean then returned with Cas. “Hello.” He said to all of us. 

I smiled a bit despite my conflict with the angel, even after the time to soak in the news that I was part angel, Castiel being the one to tell me. “Hello Castiel.” Then he walked up to the table. He took a look at the bone we stole from the nunnery which was now sharpened to a point. 

“Now, you understand I don’t participate in aggressive activity.” Cas said and picked up the bone. I quirked an eyebrow as he sniffed it. “Mm. Sister Mary Constant. Good choice.” He smiled and out it down. 

“Why’d you go to Meg, Cas?” Dean asked. 

“When I left, I wanted to observe the flowers-and fruit. Flowers come first, obviously. But I heard nothing from them.” 

“You heard nothing from who?” Sam asked. 

“The Garrison.” 

“What happened to the Garrison?” I asked. 

“Well, finally, the silence was deafening, so I went to look...to the home of the Prophet. You know, Leviathan can kill angels.” I exchanged a worried look with Sam. “There's a reason why Father locked them in Purgatory. They're the Piranha that would eat the whole aquarium. They're gone. The entire Garrison – dead. If there's anyone left at all, they're in hiding.”

Dean gave off a wave of panic. “Um, I’m sorry. If the angels are dead, where’s Kevin?” 

“I could steal them from their cages, the monkeys. But where would I put them all?” 

“Hey!” Dean clapped his hands. “Focus. Is Kevin alive?” 

“I don’t want to fight.”

“No, I’m not-“ he looked to Sam. “We’re worried.” _Clearly_. 

“They took him. He's alive. I felt such responsibility, but it's in your hands now.” 

“Wait. Hold on a freakin’ minuet.” 

“I feel much better.” 

“Guys, What’s all that?” Meg asked. She was staring at the spell to summon Crowley. 

“We called Crowley.” Sam explained. 

“You What?” She said with a wave of fear. 

“Don’t worry. He never showed.” Dean said with a wave of anger. 

“What do you mean he never-“ 

“Do you see him anywhere? He stood us up.” 

“Well, I'm sorry about that, but I'm outie. He could still sh–“

“Show up at anytime.” I straighten off from the counter as the demon appeared in the room. “Hello, boys. Sorry I’m late, this is an embarrassment of riches.” 

He looked at Meg. “Stay, won’t you. There’s really nowhere to run.” Meg ran to the door, but Crowley appeared before her, blocking her exit. “Don't even think of smoking out, pussycat. I've got eyes all over the place.” 

“Leave her be.” Castiel warned. 

Crowley looked at him and moved towards him. “Castiel. When last we spoke, you-well, enslaved me. I'm confused. Why aren't you dead?” 

“I...don’t know.” 

A wave of anger came from him. “Well, do you want to be? Cause I can help with that-“ 

“Alright. Enough.” Dean said. 

“It's enough when I say.“ He stared daggers at him as I moved towards the boys. “I came here to help you. I find out you've been lying to me, harboring an angel, and not just any angel-the one angel I most want to _crush_ between my teeth.” 

“Oh, so you can crush angels now, huh?” Meg asked with a smirk. 

Crowley turned to her. “You bore me. You know that? You have no sense of poetry.” He looked back at Cas. “Now, What do you have to say for yourself?” 

“Well, I'm still, uh, honing my communication strategy. I haven't even been back to Heaven. I-I keep thinking there are no insects up there, but here we have...trillions.” Dean exchanged a look with Crowley as Cas rambled. “You know, they’re making honey and silk and...miracles, really.” 

“What are you talking about?” Confusion was now coming off the king of Hell. 

“Um, preferring insects to angels, I guess. Here. I can offer a token, if you like.” He held up a plastic bag of honey comb. “It’s honey. I-I collected it myself.” 

Dean and Crowley exchanged another look. “You're off your rocker. He's off his rocker-is that it? Karma's a bitch, isn't it?” 

Crowley then helped himself to a glass of whiskey Dean had left on the table before. “Look, did you come here to, uh, donkey-punch your old grudges or to help us end Dick? Pick a battle.” As Dean spoke, the demon sniffed the whiskey and put it back.

“Well, I'm vexed. I'd like to do both. But where's the fun in clobbering a ball of wet fur? Text me when Sparkles here retrieves his marbles, I suppose. Meanwhile…” he took a bottle of blood out from his jacket. “A prezzie.” 

Sam stared at it. “Really? Just boxed-up and ready to go?” 

“I’m a model of efficiency.” 

“Is that right? Then why were you late?” I asked. 

He looked at me up and down in a manner that made my stomach churn. “Dick had me in a devil trap. He's not an idiot. He knows what you three are after.” 

Sam gave off another angry wave, but kept calm as he said, “So what did he offer you.” 

“A fair deal. In exchange for giving you the wrong blood. It's demon, but is it mine?” He paused for a beat. “It’s my blood. Real deal” He was telling the truth. But it wasn’t about truth here, it was about trust. 

Dean asked, “And why should we trust you?” 

“Good God, don't. Never trust _anyone_. Little lesson I learned from my last business partner.” He said while looking at Cas. 

“Alright. Give us the blood.” 

“Certainly. Oh, bonus.” He looked at Meg. “Meg, I'm gonna scoop you up, take you home, and roast you till you're jerky.” Cas moved towards Crowley at that. “But not...yet. Cas can have you for now. Hilariously, it seems he'd be upset at losing you. And the boys need Cas to get Dick. Don't they, Cas?” 

I looked up at Castiel who was staring at the floor. “I-I don’t fight anymore.” 

“Come on. Given the particulars of your enemy, sadly, you're vital.” Crowley then tossed the vial to Sam, who caught it, and disappeared. 

“Well we’ve got one thing going for us.” I said. I pointed at the vial. “He wasn’t lying. That’s his.” 

Sam nodded. “Let’s get to work.” 

“How do you know?” Meg asked. 

“Kind of a Uh…” I smiled a bit. “Human lie detector.” 

“That come with your angel powers?” I turned towards the spell and Sam, who was now staring at my face, probably wondering if I was okay. 

“Unfortunately.” I said dryly. 

…

We pulled everything together while Cas and Meg were hanging around somewhere as we worked. The bone sat in a bowl while Sam and I worked on the blood. Dean was reading though Kevin’s notes again. “Well, one thing's for sure-we only get one shot. This thing don’t reload.” 

“You think Crowley’s uh…” Sam started. 

“Double-crossing us?” 

“Yeah.” 

“You've got to figure who he wants dead more – us or Dick.”

I shook my head. “Depends on what Dick offered.” I said. 

“Okay.” Sam picked up the blood. “Here we go...okay um...so do we Uh…” 

“Uh, there’s no magic words-nothing. We just...just go.” Dean said. 

I watched carefully as Sam said, “Alright, then.” He poured the blood onto the bone. As it soaked in, we looked around, waiting for something to happen. But nothing did. 

“Where's all the thunder and lightning?” Dean asked. 

“Uh...maybe it worked.” Sam said. 

“Awesome.” 

I stared at it. “It’s just going to have to be enough.” 

Castiel then appeared, holding three sandwiches. “So, none of this should cause you any ill effect.” He handed me a plate. “I went to a little farm in Normandy for the wheat and the lettuce and tomato and-and I thoroughly examined and comforted the pig before I...slaughtered it for the ham. Here.” He held one out to Dean. “You need your strength.” 

Dean took it. “Thanks Cas.” 

When Castiel held out one for him, Sam didn’t take it. He was waving off confusion and determination. “And Cas, why was Crowley so certain that you need to come with us?” 

Cas frowned, “Crowley's wrong.” He was lying. “I'll be waiting right here. But please – accept this sandwich as a gesture of solidarity.” 

Sam took the sandwich from him as Cas walked away. I just looked up at them. “Take these to go? Kill Dick while we’re out?” I asked. 

“Yep.” Sam said as he put the sandwich down. 

“Let’s go.” Dean said. 

Dean hauled us in the car as we sped to Wisconsin. I fiddle with my sword nervously the whole time. Suddenly, all of this became very real in a matter of hours. _We’re going to end the leviathans. We’re going to save the world._ It became an even more daunting task as we moved closer to their den. And all I could think about was Sam. 

Sam was...well, he meant so much to me. We had gone through so much together, and I couldn’t help but think, _We could die tonight._ And I never really told Sam about how I felt about him. He knew that he was important to me, and I was the same to him. But _how_ important? _Did he think about me in the light that I thought about him? Did his heart race every time I smiled at him like mine did when he did the same for me? I nearly fell apart when Sam was in the hospital his brain breaking because of his past trauma. Could I really live with myself if something happened to him or me and I never got to tell him that he’s my favorite person on the planet?_

All of these questions ran through my head when we finally pulled up in front of the _Sucrocorp_ building. Sam had his laptop on his lap as he hacked into their WiFi and surveillance. “You got it yet?” Dean asked him. 

“Here we go.” Sam’s laptop pulled up the footage. There was a boardroom meeting in progress with Roman leading it.

“Thanks, Charlie.” I said with a smirk. 

“Wherever you are.” Sam finished. 

Dean smiled. “Got you, Dick.” He said with a wave of anger and determination. 

“Yeah, that’s, uh, the second floor, and-and then—what’s that?” On the screen showed Roman, also sitting at his deck. 

I furrowed my eyebrows. “What the hell?” Dean asked. “Is that Dick?” 

Sam clicked on another feed. “And that’s Dick.” 

“Oh crap.” I grumbled. 

“Son of a bitch.” Dean said a beat later. 

We cycled through the footage, trying everything we could to try to determine which was the real Roman. I looked up and through the windshield as I heard the sound of a door slamming. Not far from us, a woman in a familiar maids uniform parked a truck on the road in front of the building. She climbed out, and Sam took a look at her through the binoculars. “That’s the maid from the motel.” He said. 

“What motel?” Dean asked. 

“Montana.” I said at the realization. _It’s Bobby._

Sam looked at me and back at the woman. “Oh, no. Oh, Bobby, what are you doing?” 

“Wait. Are you saying that Bobby-

“Look, just, uh wait here.” 

“Are you out of your mind?” Dean asked as Sam moved to get out. 

“You got the weapon, and-and eyes on Dick, plural. I’ll take care of Bobby.” He left the car. 

“Sam! Hey!” 

“Shut up.” 

I opened my door. “I’ll go after him. Just wait here. _Don’t_ got after Dick alone!” 

I had to sprint to catch up to Sam. “What are you doing here?” He asked as we followed Bobby around the back of the building. 

“Did you really think I was going to let you go after Bobby in your own?” I asked him. He didn’t respond as we had eyes on Bobby. Sam made quick notice of the cameras and worked around their sight. As soon as we saw an opening, we ran up and walked in front of Bobby to stop and speak to him. 

“Bobby? I know you're in there. Listen to me. There are cameras everywhere.” Sam said urgently. He pointed to the one we spotted. “There's one right there. Stop, okay? You're gonna get her killed.” 

Bobby then ignored us and pushed us both out of the way and to the ground roughly. We quickly got up and moved Bobby out of the cameras eye behind a parked van. Sam then said, “Bobby! Dammit! How are you gonna kill Dick Huh? You can’t!” 

He took out a knife. “Good enough for me.” He slashed at us. I grabbed the hand holding the knife. 

“No! I’m not letting you go.” I told him. 

“Get out of here. Get her out of here, Sam.” Bobby ordered. 

“No.” Sam said. 

Bobby then slammed me into the Van next to us and gripped me by the throat. Sam tried to pry him off me but was pushed into the bushes behind us. “Bobby, stop. _Stop_.” I said with my hands gripping the maid’s wrist. My vision began to blur as I had a hard time breathing. 

His eyes then flicked at me and the surface of the car. Then he shouted. “No!” 

I started the breathe easily again as Bobby let me go and left the woman’s body. He disappeared as she fell to the ground. I focused on breathing as Sam scrambled up and went to me. “I’m okay. Just help her.” I gravelly spoke out. 

Sam picked her up easily, and we ran to the car. 

…

We drove the woman to the hospital and got the hell outta dodge hoping that no Leviathan would have found and followed us. I was glad, however, to drive home with Bobby next to me. Knowing that he was back with us and not hurting others felt good. But knowing what we had to do next wasn’t made easier. 

We sat on the couch the next morning of Rufus’s cabin again waiting for Sam to get off the phone with the hospital. “Okay, thanks.” He hung up. “She’s fine. Checking out of the hospital tonight.” 

“Well, that’s positive.” Castiel said. He held out another solidarity sandwich for him, which Sam didn’t take. 

“Tell me again why you turned tail for some maid.” Meg asked. Cas then put the sandwich in front of Dean on the coffee table. “You were right there.” 

“Shut up, Meg.” Dean said with a wave of defeat. 

“Because Dick made more dicks.” Sam said. We all looked up at him funny to which he said, “He must've kept a chunk of the original Dick Roman somewhere. Uh, they'd all have to touch it.” 

Castiel went to the kitchen to dry dishes. He gave off a wave of shame. “Hey, shifty, what’s your problem?” Dean asked him. 

“Do we need a cat? Doesn't this place feel one species short?” Cas was avoiding the question clearly. His lie from the night before wasn’t helping. 

“You got anything to say on the topic of Dicks? Crowley was pretty sure that you could help.” 

“I can't help. You understand? I can't. I destroyed...everything,” another wave of shame, “and I will destroy everything again. Can we please just leave it at that?” 

“No.” Dean said as he stood from the couch. “No, we can’t.” 

“Dean…” Sam said to him. 

A wave of anger came off the older brother. “We can't leave it. You let these friggin' things in. So you don't get to make a sandwich. You don't get a damned cat. Nobody cares that you're broken, Cas. Clean up your mess!”

Castiel put down the dish he was drying and walked over to Dean. “You know...we should play _Twister_.” Sam and Dean exchanged a look, and Cas disappeared. 

I sighed, exasperated. Meg just said, “Nice. You scared off the Empire’s only hope.” 

“Meaning?” Dean asked. 

“It occur to you every one of those things was in Cas? He knows them. He can see past the meat suits.” 

Sam and I glanced at each other. Then he said, “So, he’ll be able to spot the real...fake Dick Roman.” 

“Gold star, sugarpants. Too bad he's _Fruit Loops_. You might've had a chance.” Soon enough we looked down, and Cas was already playing _Twister_. 

Hours later, we were neck deep in research on a way to figure out the real Dick Roman. After a brief argument that I could figure it out, I snapped at the two of them, saying that would only work if each and every leviathan would come talk to me and answer the question ‘are you the real Dick Roman?’  
So we were stuck looking for tells. “There's no real point in looking for a tell. They all downloaded Dick's brain. They've all got the same tells.” Dean said while watching footage on a laptop. 

Sam walked around the room thinking out loud. “Alright, then maybe the question is, what would the real Dick be doing?”

I felt him before we heard him. “Is that the _best_ you can do? Idjits.” 

I stood from my seat at the sight. Sam just said, “Bobby. We didn’t know if you’d, uh-“ 

“Well, you should've. You got the flask...Dumb...You should've burned it right off.” He was right of course, but none of us thought we were ready. 

Dean looked away. “Bobby-“ 

“I'm still jonesing to go back... grab some poor bastard, kamikaze 'em going after Dick. It's bad.” He fidgeted as unease flowed from him.

“We know.” I said gently. 

The laptop started playing the news and Dick Roman began spewing off. I rolled my eyes. Bobby then made us jump when he closed the laptop shut without moving. “Let’s be real.” Bobby said. He looked straight at me. “I damn near killed you. _And_ that woman.” 

“It wasn’t your fault, Bobby-not really.” Sam said. 

“Right. That's just what ghosts turn into. I really bet the farm I could outsmart that.”

I crossed my arms. “You _knew_ this.” I didn’t say it to be mean or in a negative manner. I just said it. 

Bobby sighed. “Yeah, I know. You owe me one big ol’ I told you so.” 

“Damn straight.” 

Dean then asked, “So, what’s it feel like?” 

“What? Going vengeful? It's an itch you can't scratch out. Look...I'm _done_. Go get Dick. But don't do it 'cause you think it'll scratch the itch. Do it 'cause it's the job. And when it's your time...go.” 

We stared at him for a moment as all of our hearts broke. My anger for him had melted away. I was just sad. It was like losing him all over again. Actually, it was losing him all over again. And the boys waved off a very similar reaction. 

Rufus had a coal bed that he used for melting silver into bullets in the basement. So we pulled it out and heated it up to melt down the flask. I took a long breath as we waited a moment before melting it down. Bobby just looked at me. “Darlin’...I’m sorry. For everything.” 

“I know Bobby. I know. I’m sorry too.” I whispered through a few tears. 

He looked up at the boys. “You take care of her for me. _And_ each other.” 

“We will.” They both said in tandem. I smiled gently at that. 

He sighed, “Here’s to...running into you guys on the other side. Only... not too soon. Alright?” 

Dean then took a moment, he stared at the flask, then tossed it in. It slowly melted down. Tears streamed down my face as Bobby burned out, his strength and stubbornness fading with him. When it was gone, I tried to wipe the tears away but they kept coming. Both of the boys' overwhelming grief came over me again. I walked out and up the stairs mumbling that I was “going for a drive.” I walked past Castiel, who just looked at me sadly. 

I barely remembered taking my jacket as I rushed out the door. I threw it on and went straight to the shed that we kept my truck and my bike. I wipe a few tears away again, and I breathed deeply. Then I put on my helmet. I stopped crying thankfully as I was away from all the grief except for my own. I turned her on and we sped away on the dark road. 

I had done this a few times over the course of staying at the cabin with the boys. I would just take her for a ride. No case. No worries. And drive to a nearby lake. It would be dark for the most part, except for the stars. I felt relief as the wheels of my bike carried me. A relief that I didn’t think was possible in my state. 

I pulled up to my usual spot, with a bench to look out, and parked. I threw off my helmet and pulled out a small lantern I kept for nights I would drive out. 

It was quiet, except for the movement of the water on the lake. I turned the lantern on and sat down on the wooden bench, watching the water as I cried a little bit more, then calmed. I sat there relaxed. Thinking about it all. 

About an hour sitting there in the warm spring night, a pair of headlights started coming up the trail that I used to get here. I pulled my gun out and kept it next to my thigh, staying calm. Just in case this wasn’t a friendly visit. 

My heart raced as the lights turned off to reveal the car the Winchesters were using, with only Sam behind the wheel. He got out, calling my name. 

I sighed and stood. “What the hell Sam?” I put my gun away back in my waistband. 

“I was worried about you. You’ve been gone for a while.” 

I huffed and crossed my arms. I looked out to the water. “How’d you find me?” 

A wave of embarrassment came off him. “Uh...we put a GPS on your cell.” 

I chuckled. “Stalker.” 

I looked up at him. He was giving me his puppy-eyed look again. “Are you okay?” He asked. 

“Yeah...yeah.” I said looking away, my heart jumping to my chest, thinking back on Bobby. I turned and sat back down on the bench. I looked back to see he hadn’t moved still staring. “Come sit with me?” I asked. 

“Yeah.” He said quietly. He sat next to me, moving the lantern to the ground. 

“How are you feeling?” I asked him. 

“Doing okay…,” he lied. 

“I know when you're lying Samuel.” I looked at him, who chuckled and looked away from me. “You can tell me.” 

“Honestly...I’m angry and sad...that he’s gone. Like _gone_ -gone.” 

I nodded. “Me too. But...it’s for the better.” 

“Yeah.” He said. “So…” 

“So?” 

He sighed. “Dean’s pulled a plan together. We head out tomorrow morning.” 

“We’re going to kill Dick Roman.” 

“That’s the plan.” A wave of panic came from him. 

I took his hand. “Hey. We’re gonna be okay. No matter what happens.” 

“Are you sure?” He asked in a quiet voice. 

I swallowed, “no, but...somehow I think we will.” 

He nodded. “We should probably get back.” That’s when I realized how close our faces were in the dark. I was too distracted by his eyes. We were inches apart, all it took was one of us to move closer and our lips would meet. Suddenly a part of me wanted that to happen. And I thought back to my thoughts yesterday. I wanted Sam. Truly. And there was nothing holding me back. 

“Yeah...but...Are you going to kiss me or what?” 

One breath. One heartbeat. One moment; It took him to think and to crash his lips onto mine. Our mouths danced on each other for a few moments, before we melted into each other. His hands let go of mine and gently cupped my face, holding me like I was something precious, while mine went to his neck and chest. I slid closer to him as everything intensified. 

Then he broke us apart for breath. “Sam.” I said in a breathy whisper. 

“Do you want this as much as I do?” He asked so quietly I almost missed it. Until this moment, I had ignored all the waves he sent my way. Trepidation and anticipation clung to the air from him, but there was also joy and fear. 

“Yes.” And his lips were back to mine like they were always meant to be there. I pulled him close to me, craving the sense and pressure of him. His contentment and relief filled the air around us, and I couldn’t be happier. He was kissing me. I was kissing him. We were kissing! I had never been more relieved to have someone reciprocate my own affections. And it was exhilarating. 

Eventually he pulled me into his lap, and I happily ran my fingers into his soft brown hair. I reveled with myself finally being able to do it. And so much more. Then a sudden breeze of cold air hit my back. I was reminded that I was making out. With Sam Winchester. On a public bench. 

I broke apart from Sam as my heartbeat rose. For a moment I stared at him, and a wave of fear came from him. “Are you okay? Is this okay?” He asked. 

“Yes.” I nodded my head, “yes, god yes. I just...we’re kind of exposed out here. Can we…” I looked away and blushed fiercely. “Could we maybe continue this in the car?” 

He smiled gently, said “of course,” and before I could jump off his lap, he quickly stood up with me in his arms. I had to swing my legs around his middle as I laughed at the unexpected action, and said, “Sam!” I laughed some more as he did. “I could’ve walked.” I said as he moved towards the car. 

“You’re fun to carry around though. You're so much smaller than me...it’s just perfect” I giggled again and kissed him once more. When we did get to the door, he let me down and silently asked front or back. I answered by opening up the back and climbing inside. As soon as he came in after me, I attacked his mouth with my lips. 

He happily obliged as he lay me down on the bench. I pulled him as close as possible as our lips and tongues danced. One hand was firmly on my hip while the other played with my hair. While I gripped him close by wrapping my arms around his neck. Eventually though, I broke us apart and stared into his eyes, “Samuel...do you want this? You want to do this? You want me?” I asked in a low, careful voice. 

“Yes. I want this...do you?” 

I smiled brightly and a moment later he did, “Yes...it’s about damn time then.” His lips were on mine again as I fiddled and undid the buttons of his flannel. 

…

Our breathing had calmed as I laid over his bare chest, his arms surrounding my own bare form as I could sense our heartbeats match. He kissed me again. “That was…” I started. 

“Amazing. Why the hell did I wait so long to say something?” Sam asked himself. 

I chuckled. “Cause we’ve been a little busy. Trying to save the world and all.” 

“Yeah.” He said as he pushed a lock of hair out of my face and behind my ear. “I want to tell you something...I think you’re amazing. Your beautiful and sexy and just...The way you just care...you care about everyone around you, even if you shouldn’t...you just see the best in people. You see the best in me. Even when I think I don’t deserve it. You _care_ despite all of that. And I guess what I’m trying to say is...I want more than sex with you. I want more than being friends with you. I want it all. I want to be with you.” 

After a moment of absorbing his words, I said, “Samuel...you are a once in a lifetime person. You know that?” I smiled. “You have an optimism that is so unheard of, and the way _you_ care about people. Your compassion for others, your bravery, your kindness...I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone quite like you. And...I know that you’ve had it rough…with the end of the world on you and your brother. And all the crap you’ve been through. You’re still kind, and gentle, and so sweet. When I met you...even though I sensed your emotions at the time...I wanted to figure out who you were and get to know you, because you're so special I guess. And…” I looked away a moment, “you're the first person I opened up to in...I don’t even know how long. You make me feel safe...I haven’t felt that with anyone for a very, very long time…” my voice cracked at that as I stared into his beautiful eyes, “and I’m so happy to say I want all of those things too. I want to be with you too.”

He smiled at me gently, waves of contentment and relief came from him as he kissed me gently again. When we broke apart I snuggled into his chest, enjoying his warmth and scent. I decided then and there that the safest place I had ever felt was in his arms. “I promise...I’ll always try to keep you safe.” He punctuated his small promise with a kiss to the top of my head and waves of hope, warmth, and determination. 

We fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments, just enjoying the intimacy and each other. Soon enough though, we knew we had to go back before we fell asleep in the back of the car and miss Dean’s mission in the morning. 

We slowly got up and pulled on our clothes and shoes. We mused to each other every other moment or start kissing each other again lazily and sweetly, neither of us wishing to leave just yet. 

Still we both got out of the back seat. Sam slid in the front seat, and I leaned onto the driver’s window once the door closed. I then said, “So when we get back…” 

“We need sleep.” He said. 

“Yes...and...could we keep this between us, at least until Roman is dead.” I asked. “I like this bubble we have. And as soon as your brother finds out…” 

“Yeah. I know.” He said with a sheepish smile and turned the car on. “I’ll wait for you to get ahead of me okay?” 

“Yeah.” I kissed him again and smiled when we broke apart. 

“After this is done, I wanna take you to dinner.” He said. 

“You’re gonna ‘wine and dine’ me Winchester?” I asked playfully. 

He gave me the goofiest smile. “Maybe.” 

I gave him one last peck, and said, “drive safe.” 

…

When we got back in, Dean gave us the weirdest look, but stayed quiet. I just went straight to the bathroom and took a long shower, kind of wishing we had the cabin to ourselves. And that Sam would join me. I went to bed and got a few hours of sleep. But we all got up early, ready to hit the road, well, after Dean got the Impala. We needed a distraction, and the trademarked Winchester car was perfect for it. 

I pulled my hair up into a braided ponytail, and I put on my favorite leather jacket as well my sword on my belt. I also put my family ring onto a silver chain to make sure I didn’t lose it, wearing it around my neck. We all gathered together next to the beautiful black car just miles near the building on the side of the road. “So this is it.” Sam said. 

“We all know the plan?” Dean asked. 

“Sam goes after Kevin, I’m with you and Cas. Meg’s the distraction. I think we’re good.” I said. 

Dean nodded. “Be careful with her.” He told Sam. 

“The Impala’s going to be fine Dean.” Sam said with a small wave of annoyance. 

They both looked down at me. “I just have one thing to say, if something happens to me-“ 

“Nothings going to happen to you.” Sam said. 

I smiled. “ _If_...something happens to me, you two _bozos_ need to know something. Unless my body is cold and dead in front of you on a freakin’ pyer, you don’t do _anything_ to my bike or truck. If there’s a chance that I come back, I want my bike to be there.” 

“You know it’s just a bike right?” Sam asked. 

Dean and I both gave him a look. “Dude.” The older brother said. 

“See Dean, gets it...he has his Baby, I have mine. We good?” They both nodded. 

Dean then said with a weird smile, “I’ll leave you two to it.” I watched him walk away with a wave of pride washing over him. I looked back at Sam with wide eyes. “Did you tell him?” 

“Uh...yeah.” I gave him a look. “What? He’s my brother, and he knows me.” 

“He _knows_ when you get laid?” I asked him with a quirked eyebrow. 

“Come on. He was bound to find out anyway.” I laughed at him. 

“What am I gonna do with you?” I paused and pulled him into a hug. “You be careful, Samuel. Let’s try to get out of this alive.” I whispered into his ear. 

“I will. You be careful too.” He gave me a good squeeze and let me go. I gave him one last kiss on the cheek as I got down. One last smile as I walked towards Dean and Cas. 

“Good luck.” Dean said to him. 

“You too.” Sam replied to his brother. 

Cas gave Meg one last look as well, and put his hands on both mine and Dean’s shoulders. Within seconds, we were in the office building. We moved through the building quietly, every Dick we came across, Cas had to lay his eyes on him. Everyone we came across was a fake apparently. 

Then we got down to the lab. Dick Roman, the real one, was checking out a little coffee creamer, talking to a scientist Levi. “You know, I think this might end up the slickest little genocide in history.” I pulled out my sword and Dean his machete as Cas poofed us behind his scientist with power clean in hand. 

“Thank you, sir.” The scientist didn’t even see us. 

“Just sayin'. I smell ‘promotion.’” With a swift move, I chopped the head off the scientist and he crumbled to the floor. 

Roman turned around and stared us. “Little abrupt...but okay.” 

Dean and I both sheathed our blades and stared at him. The Levi looked at Castiel. “Castiel. Good to see you again. Thanks for the ride into paradise.” I stepped behind Dean as he took out a sharpened, blood stained bone. “And good on you! Pulling that together – A-plus.” 

“Would you stop talking?” I said angrily. 

“Oh, you don't think this'll work, do you? You trust that demon?” Dean asked. 

“You sure I’m even me, Dean?” 

“No. But _he_ is.” Dean said. Roman’s eyes flickered to Cas and back. “See, here's the thing when dealing with Crowley – he will _always_ find a way to bone you.” 

“This meeting’s over.” Cas moved us out of the way and started towards him but Roman was quicker. He picked up Cas and threw him to the opposite wall. As he turned back, Dean plunged the bone in to Dick’s chest. 

The man gasped and pulled it out. My eyes grew wide as I watched him snap it in two like a pencil. “Did you really think you could trump me?” 

“Honestly…” Dean pulled out the real bone. “No.” 

Castiel grabbed Roman’s head and pulled it back. Dean then plunged the bone into Dick’s neck and he screamed. 

Then the doors burst open. Sam and Kevin came in as I felt a pounding energy come off Roman. “Figured we’d have to catch you off guard.” 

I grasped Dean's arm. “Dean!” Roman’s face transformed into a toothy mouth as the energy grew stronger. We stood frozen. I looked to Sam in horror. “Sam!” I screamed out before Roman exploded black. 

…

I gasped awake as Dean shook me. I was on the cold ground and trees were above me in the dark. “Hey. Hey. Get up.” He helped me up. 

Castiel was there too. “Good. We need to get out of here.” He said. 

“Where are we?” I asked. Panic was waving off the two of them while I felt another presence. Six presences, actually, starting to surround us. I clung to Dean’s arm like a child to their security blanket. 

“You don’t know?” 

“Last I remember, we ganked Dick.” Dean told him. 

“And where would he go in death?” Cas said with wide eyes. 

My eyes grew wide. “Wait. Are you telling me…?

“Every soul here is a monster.” A rustle in the trees as one of the presences comes closer to us. “This is where they come to prey upon each other for all eternity.” 

“We’re in Purgatory?” I asked as looked up at Dean in horror. 

“How do we get out?” Dean asked. 

“I'm afraid we're much more likely to be ripped to shreds.” Cas said. 

I turned to see two creatures with red glowing eyes. “Dean.”

“Cas, I think we better-“ Dean said. And when we turned around, Castiel was gone. “Cas?” 

“Oh crap.” I pulled out my sword while Dean pulled out his machete. _Thank god we still had these._

“Run.” Dean shouted before we bolted.   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this ends on a serious cliff hanger, but don’t worry! Will be posting the continuation of the story in The Huntress Pt. II. So keep a look out and see what happens in season 8! Thank you all so much again. -Indigo
> 
> PS: The Huntress Pt. II is out now! Go check it out!


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